The Pale War
by An Average Fanfictioneer
Summary: When the Pale King awakens after the Radiance's defeat, he begins a campaign of utter domination against the world outside of Hallownest. As the "enlightenment" starts, a young human will have to make an alliance with an insect warrior to survive. Contains transformation elements. This is my first story so please R&R.
1. Prologue

Prolouge

The Pale King was awake and it puzzled him.

He had drawn his last breath with content, knowing that his perfect kingdom was going to last for eternity, perfectly preserved by his chosen Dreamers and protected from the thrice damned Old Light by his perfectly hollow Vessel.  
Yet now he was awake and tended to by his royal servants.

These bugs were among the small amount that had been rooted from reality with the rest of the palace and kept safe in the Dream World. Unlike the Pale King, who was left a mere husk during this stasis, the retainers simply remained to wander the palace halls, completely oblivious to most things happening around them.  
It wouldn't even have been wrong to say that most of them never even noticed being removed from the physical world.

However, now that they were once again fully in their right minds, the Pale King's needs required service and any disobedience would be met with a swift death at the claws of the Kingsmoulds.  
As he was fitted with the finest of silk robes, the king heard from a servant, that during his great sleep, a strange, small bug had come to the palace.  
This mute intruder allegedly defeated any Kingsmould that stood in their way and masterfully survived the obstacle ridden hallways, which had been designed to test the Hollow Vessel's skill.

This surprised the king, since he was certain that entering his palace from the outside world was impossible.  
He was also disturbed by the fact, that his own genious and the 'noble' sacrifices of hundreds of workbugs all seemed to be pointless.  
Since judging from the slain Kingsmoulds outside the throne room and the fact that, upon awakening, the Pale King had found himself face-first on the floor, it would have been quite accurate to assume that this mysterious bug had reached him.  
Not that it mattered, as the only thing missing from the king's person was the half of an old charm that he had created long ago with the White Lady, when his body was still young and easily led astray by such a juvenile distraction as love.

As the hours passed, the Pale King started to feel his consciousness expand from the halls of the White Palace, where it had laid dormant for so long, and sweep across his old domain.  
But as the monarch started to connect to all that he ruled over, he noticed that something was missing.  
In no corner of the kingdom of Hallownest did he feel the Radiance's presence holding him back.

During all the time of the Pale King's rule over Hallownest, including the later years when even those primitive moths forgot about her, the ruler's presence was opposed and held back by the presence of the Old Light.  
Granted, it had never taken its toll on him before the years of the Infection, but there was always a certain amount of focus that had to be given to the dream dweller.

This was a development that the Pale King hadn't expected.

But it was one he welcomed with open claws.

The whole of Hallownest and its surroundings were finally going to be united under one rightful ruler: the Pale Wyrm.  
This wasn't all however, since he'd already started to feel his influence expand beyond the Howling cliffs and beyond the wastelands that bordered them.

Almost everyone within the valley that housed Hallownest thought that there was nothing but empty wilderness outside the walls of the kingdom, yet the Pale King knew what the world beyond held.  
And he wanted it, for he deserved it.

Unbeknownst to most, the Kingsmoulds weren't just personal guards for the monarch, that would have simply been wasting their potential.  
In the lower areas of the White Palace, which would have been called a 'basement' in lesser structures, there stood thousands of the Void constructs, with just as many Wingsmoulds accompanying them.

Before, the king lacked the required focus to control them all at once, but now that he was at his full power for the first time in what had to be centuries.

His time had come.

He would rebuild his dear Hallownest and expand it times a thousand. The sapient beings of the outside world would experience his light and they would be enlightened by it!  
Resistance to his Pale brilliance would be futile!

Through the rows of Kingsmoulds and Wingsmoulds, a single command echoed:

"…_Conquer…"_


	2. Chapter 1: A Needle and Thread

Chapter 1: A Needle and Thread

The last few days had been eventful to the Daughter of Hallownest.

For the longer portion of her life, Hornet had patrolled the ancient halls of Hallownest, skewering anything she deemed a threat.  
While doing this duty, she had never thought about why it seemed so important to her.  
It just seemed logical do preserve her father's domain, yet she never understood why it had been such an obsession.

Now that Hallownest's slumber was over, she no longer felt the overwhelming urge to check every corner of the kingdom for something that could threaten it.  
She actually felt quite relieved because of it.

Something that had also changed was her attitude towards the other living bugs in Hallownest.  
Before, there hadn't been any contact between her and the village of Dirtmouth, where the survivors of the kingdom's collapse made their home.  
Yet for some reason, after waking up in the Temple of the Black Egg, instead of heading to a hot spring to regain her strength she stumbled  
At the time, she simply figured that it was simply survivor's instinct, as the battle had left her very weak and the village was closer than the .

First impressions had been rather interesting though.

After heaving herself up the well connecting the Fading Town with the rest of Hallownest, Hornet had been met with an elderly looking bug.  
Elderbug, as he preferred to be called, had been quite surprised at the sight of a weary looking bug whom he hadn't seen before.  
Then again, there had been many surpising events happening recently, so instead of simply standing about he hurried forwards to help her.

For a second, Hornet tried to dodge the Elderbug's attempts to aid her in staying upright, saying that she could stand up by herself. Then, she suddenly realized how tired she really was from being inside the giant Void chamber.  
She tried to maintain her strenght as Elderbug helped her limp towards one of the houses in the village, but her exhaustion caught up to her and she lost consciousness.

* * *

The next thing Hornet remembered was waking up in a dark room. It didn't really matter to her, since she was used to the dark caverns of Deepnest.  
Looking around, she made out a small cottage. It was furnished in a way that someone would expect from the lower side of Hallownest's social ladder, with a simple wood table and stool occupying one corner, her needle was also placed against the wall beside them.  
In the other corner was the bed Hornet found herself sitting on. It was a bunk bed, most likely to save space, and used the same type of red cloth that blocked the door, as sheets.  
Lastly was the doorway, which was covered by a large piece of red cloth.

Then Hornet noticed something that seemed strange to her. The light that was shining from behind the room's curtain-door appeared to be a bit much for the Surface.  
From what she was able to gather before her loss of consciousness in the town's square, Dirtmouth was lit with only a few single-lumafly lanterns, yet the shine coming from beyond to doorway looked like it came from those large ones in the City of Tears that held whole colonies.

Getting up from the bed, Hornet made her way towards the door, picking her needle up one the way. She pushed the curtain out of her way and stepped outside, only to be blinded by an unusually bright environment.  
Quickly covering her eyes with her hand, Hornet looked around to see everything lit up, by what appeared to be a giant ball of white in the sky.

Hornet had seen the Sun only once in her life, but it was something she would never forget. During her last days before becoming one of the three Dreamers, Herrah had decided to take her daughter up to the surface for the first time.  
Being just a young, curious hatchling at the time, still untouched by the things she would witness during the years to come, Hornet had been ecstatic about such a trip.  
The stag ride from the Distand Village to the Stag Nest was quite lenghty, but the view of Hallownest's valley that opened up from the ledges of the Howling Cliffs was truly a sight to behold.  
Still, the most captivating thing for the young princess was the large sphere in the sky, that showered all of the Surface in warm, golden light.

After the Dreamers sealed the Hollow Knight and the Infection into the Black Egg, the Sun disappeared and an eternal night replaced it. Soon after the Infection started spreading again, the Pale King disappeared along with his palace and Hallownest fell into a long slumber.

Now the sun had once again risen above the Howling Cliffs, yet it looked different.  
Gone was the warm, yellow glow that Hornet still fondly remembered. Instead, the sky-sphere was pure white and cast a pale light, devoid of any warmth.

„Please allow me to apologize for this inconvenience," said Elderbug, once Hornet approached him, „ these sorts of oddities have just been happening more and more lately."

„That shall not be an issue," replied Hornet. „Thse Sun shouldn't be something to worry about," she added, even though its sudden appearance raised a quite few questions in her.

„I must say," continued the aged bug, „ that I've never seen anything like this sun, was it?" Hornet nodded.  
„Whatever it is," he added, „ I hope it isn't permanent. My long walks would simply lose their charm then."

„You mustn't worry," said Hornet, „ If what I know is true, then it should disappear after some time."

„I do hope so," replied Elderbug with what sounded like a cross between a laugh and a grumble.  
Then he said: „With that sharp, pointy thing aside, you seem like quite a likeable bug. How come we've never seen you in our town before?"

After briefly introducing herself to Elderbug, Hornet decided that she was rested enough to be on her way. So, with the town elder's farewells said, she headed towards the well that had served as Hallownests entrace for many years now.

* * *

Her first destination was the Temple of the Black Egg, which was simply a large, empty room now that its namesake was gone or destroyed, Hornet was didn't remember much of what had happened.  
Something that she already knew, was however confirmed upon her arrival. The Vessel, whom Hornet had named Ghost, was dead with nothing but a cracked shell left.

Hornet wasn't sure how, but even before reaching the grounds of their battle against the Hollow Knight, she had already felt that their sibling was no more.  
It shouldn't have mattered to her, after all, she had killed one in Greenpath before, yet the confirmation of their death left Hornet with a strange, bitter feeling she hadn't felt before.

Suddenly, she got an idea. Taking out some leftover thread, that she figured would see much less usage now, Hornet used her weaving skills to bind the two halves of the cracked shell together.  
Then, carefully holding the white mask, she started heading towards Greenpath.

With the Infection gone, moving through Greenpath was much easier, as most creatures who were hostile before had perished or had regained their sence of self preservation and hidden themselves.  
Hornet couldn't complain, as it made the way to her small dwelling much easier.

* * *

The den was as minimalist as one could get, with only a body-length cloth for sleeping and a scavenged chest for storing items and being a makeshift table. Even though she was royalty, Hornet had always been taught that a Deepnest bug should only have what they need and nothing more.  
That didn't stop her from decorating the small living space though. Every week or so, she brought a fairly large amount of flowers from the surrounding area. It didn't even matter which type, as long as they refreshed the place up.

Now though, Hornet just sat on the ground, not knowing what to do next. There didn't seem to be any point in guarding the ruins anymore, since the evil presence of the Infection was gone.  
With the Pale King and the White Lady gone, she could have technically claimed herself as Hallownest's heir, but that would have required skills in leadership and communicating with the many tribes withing Hallownest's borders.

The Mosskin, similarly to Hallownest, had fallen from grace ever since their god disappeared. Now they mostly lived in small groups without a defined leader.

Diplomacy was not something that the bugs of Deepnest were known for, even more so with the Infection, and even though it was gone now, it didn't raise the chances for negotiations much.

In any case, going to Deepnest was not probably a good idea.  
Ever since her birth, Hornet had been a controversial figure among the residents of the dark tunnels. The Pale King was an enemy in their eyes and even though the monarchs of both sides had tried to make relations better, most would agree that their attempts didn't work out.  
When the king chose Herrah to be a Dreamer, she asked a daughter in return. She knew that if Deepnest was left without a clear heir, then its residents would elect someone who'd most likely start a war with Hallownest.

Despite the good intentions, word that the child's father was the Pale King traveled fast through the caverns. This caused the bugs to resent Hornet, with only her mother and the Weavers, who were among the more civilized of Deepnest, to show her any love. Even Midwife, who was supposed to look after her, remained distant while tending to her.  
It got worse after the Dreamers fell into their eternal sleep and the Infection kept spreading. With the Pale King gone, the denizens of Deepnest tried to unleash their anger on his daughter. Luckily, Hornet had already been taught in the arts of wielding a needle by the Weavers, so she managed to escape.  
Since then, she had been keeping herself in an exile from her birthhome, only returning to mourn her mother when the Ghost broke her seal.

* * *

Hornet sighed to herself.  
For the first time in her life, she felt as if there was nothing for her to do. The Infection was gone so Hallownest didn't need protection anymore, atleast for the time being. That however begged the question, what use would her needle have now?

She looked at Ghost's remains again.

That warrior truly was something. She wasn't sure how they acquired it, but during their final battle together, ghost had been wielding the most beautifully balanced and sharp nail Hornet had ever seen.  
The bugs of Dirtmouth appeared to hold them in high regard as well, she'd even seen a small amateur warrior venture through the Crossroads clearly trying to imitate Ghost's likeness.

For some reason, that small town above Hallownest was still on Hornet's mind. Now that the Infection was over, they would most likely see much more traffic, as travellers and those wishing to get a taste of the kingdom's riches would finally dare and approach.  
With the eternal night over, there was also a chance that more malicious forces would come from the wastelands. What protection would the town have now that Ghost was gone?

Monomon's student had evidently given up the way of the warrior, since Hornet had found his nail by the Blue Lake.

Finally, Hornet simply wanted to have a change of surroundings after spending decades, possibly even a century now, alone in the caverns.  
It was decided.

Hornet was going to Dirtmouth again, this time for a little bit longer.

* * *

Elderbug had been surprised that the warrior he helped had returned so soon. He was even more surprised when she'd asked him for permission to stay in one of the many empty houses that were found in the village.

Unsurprisingly, she decided that she would stay in the cottage where she had recovered before. After that, Hornet spent the next few hours carrying her belongings from Greenpath to her new home. She was ultimately helped by a bug called Cornifer, who had been charting the entirety of Hallownest and knew a few handy shortcuts that even Hornet hadn't noticed before.  
After barely managing to carry her shellwood chest to her new dwelling and thanking Cornifer for the aid he had given, Hornet took the time to rest a bit.  
She awoke from her nap just as the Sun was beginning to set behind the Howling Cliffs.

Making her way outside to scout the area around Dirtmouth a bit more, she heard suddenly heard strange noises coming from the well.  
Carefully approaching, needle drawn, she looked down only to see the student of Monomon struggling to pull himself up the chain.

He looked up and, noticing Hornet, said: „ Hello there! I appear to have some trouble getting up this well, blasted old joints and all." He struggled again, trying to keep himself in a stable position.

Hornet simply rolled her eyes and took out a roll of thread. She then jumped into the hole, quickly tying it around the waist of the other bug. Just as fast, she dashed out of the well, pulling him out as well.

„A thousand thanks," said the scholarbug after dusting himself off. He then looked at Hornet and his eyes widened as he exclaimed: „ But where are my manners? My name is Quirrel, the student of Monomon the Teacher. Who might you be fair lady? I see you are clad in the robes of a Weaver and wield your needle with their ferocity ."

„I am Hornet of Deepnest," Hornet replied icily, „ and I was indeed raised by Weavers."

Closely examining her, much to Hornet's dismay, Quirrel then appeared to realize something.  
„Of course, how didn't I notice earlier? You must be the child of the Beast," he looked at her with a questioning glance.  
„I am indeed the daughter of Herrah," confirmed Hornet.

„Wonderful," exclaimed Quirrel, „This means that Hallownest's royalty is not lost like we thought!"

Confused by his knowledge of her other parent, Hornet demanded: „ How do you know of my relation to the Pale King?"

Quirrel laughed heartily and answered: „As the student of our great kingdom's brightest mind, I was granted permission to archives forbidden to most others. "

Suddenly he said: „Well would you look at the time, the Sun is already set and I believe if I stood any longer I would fall over dead."

Hornet looked around and indeed, any light that the Sun had been able to shine from behind the cliffs was gone.  
She uttered a quick goodbye to him as he went to rest on the bench in the middle of town, unwilling to bother the tired bug about how he knew that the Sun had returned.

Hornet stayed up for a good few hours longer, surveying and investigating the almost perfectly circular valley bordered by the Howling Cliffs. The closest things to threats were currently just vengeflies and crawlids who were too scared by the light from Dirtmouth's lanterns to go anywhere near it.

After making sure that she knew every nook and cranny of the valley, Hornet started heading back to her house in the village. Entering the hut, she covered her lumafly lantern and laid down on the bed. Since she had a rest before, it took a little longer to fall asleep. Laying in her bed, she thought silently of all the events which had happened on that day.  
The future of Hallownest was uncertain with the stasis over. It would probably take the commitment of all its surviving inhabitans to make it resemble even half of its original greatness.

* * *

The bugs of Dirtmouth were awoken next morning by loud rumbling coming from beneath the earth. As Hornet rushed out of her house to see what was happening, she saw that the other bugs had come out to do the same.

„Well this definetly a rude way to wake up," yelled Quirrel over the loud sounds coming from the underground.

„I agree," shouted Hornet, „do you have any idea about what's causing it?"

„I've never heard about anything this strong," replied Quirrel, „ if it was a little weaker then it could be a Garpede that's ventured a bit far from home."

„Whatever it is, I'm going to find and stop it," she then said as she dashed towards the well and jumped down.

Hornet ran through the Crossroads at a breakneck speed, trying to figure out where the tremors were coming from. Her current plan was to simply head down until she found it. With precision she swung across the Blue Lake using her thread.  
Then, when she reached the lift, she just kicked open a floor hatch and slid down one of the walls of the vertical shaft with her needle.

Shortcutting through the city's pleasure house, where the hot spring's water was splashing around, she finally found herself on the city street, but the shaking still felt as though it came from under her feet.  
The only place that deep was the Ancient Basin so Hornet wasted no time and headed for the ruined elevator that led beneath the City of Tears.

After a controlled landing at the bottom of the spike-filled shaft, she started to feel as though the tremors were weakening. She had to move fast if she was to find this threat.  
Hornet her way across the ruined bridge, the rubmling below her started to feel more quiet by the second.  
When she dropped down from the basin's tram station, she felt as though the rumbling shifted from coming from under her to coming from one side. That side was where the White Palace once stood!

Hornet climbed up the ledge leading to the royal grounds just as the rumbling and the tremors stopped completely. For some reason, there was a lot of light coming from the large cavern ahead.  
Hornet hurried through the doorway, what she saw next left her speechless.

* * *

There stood the White Palace in all its splendour, almost as if it never vanished in the first place. The only part that showed any ruin was the first arch that lead into the great building, but that was because it was left behind when the rest of it disappeared.

To say Hornet was baffled would have been an understatement. This seemed impossible, yet it was right before her eyes. Her bafflement was however cut short when the ground started rumbling again, this time it was atleast much weaker, and the large gates of the palace opened.  
Then, figures started to emerge from the giant doorways, marching in straight lines.  
This was when Hornet's instincts kicked in and she jumped behind a large nearby boulder to hide.  
She scanned the figures from her hiding place. They had the appearance of tall bugs covered almost entirely in white armor, with only their pitch black faces visible. In their four arms, they clutched claw-blades.

There had to be hundreds of them, marching in rows of ten, heading for the doorway from where that lead back to the city. Hornet decided that she was going to find out why they suddenly appeared, so with a swift throw, she launched her needle, with her thread attached, towards the roof of the bridge that lead to the palace. With a powerful tug, she pulled herself towards the old home of the king.

Entering through an open widnow, Hornet found herself in one of the many hallways of the White Palace. Silently moving alongside the wall, she soon found herself on a decorated balcony overlooking a very large hall. Looking down at the floor below, she saw many bugs, clad in white, scurrying around, with some carrying things such as piles of papers or even cleaning equipment.

Sneaking around the upper halls, Hornet found herself stumbling across what looked like obstacle courses. They were mainly filled with spikes and weirdly sharp looking,whirring disks. On closer inspection, she discovered that they were actually longnails spun around by some sort of mechanism.  
Alas, she did not have time to test her agility, so she kept exploring the halls, looking for an explanation as to how the palace had returned.

Staircases and platforms kept leading her upwards. Hornet figured that they were leading to the palace's tallest tower. That was where the Pale King's throne room was supposed to be and that was also where Hornet decided to head.

Not soon after, she noticed that the hallways had gotten a lot more tighter and crowded. With a neverending stream of servants running back and forth from what was most likely the throne room. This made it harder for Hornet to conceal herself, but she still managed to sneak through the more shadowy rooms, as a proper Deepnest bug should have.

* * *

Then Hornet saw it, the entrance to the throne room. The doorway however, was guarded by two of those armored bugs she saw earlier. She would have to find another way in.  
Luckily, Hornet knew that important buildings like this usually had large air-holes in the walls of more populated rooms to keep them ventilated. Scanning the walls of the small sideroom that she was hiding in, she soon spotted them under the ceiling.

Climbing through the holes and into the rather poorly lit throne room, Hornet stayed careful as to not attract any attention. Looking around the room, she eyed more armored guards. Then her eyes moved to the centre of the room and she had to forcefully keep herself from gasping.

There, alive and well, sat the Pale King in all his glory. Hornet couldn't believe her eyes, after such a long absence the king had simply returned. This beckoned her to ask the question: Did he vanish on purpouse, leaving his dying people to suffer only to return when the crisis had ended?

Hornet then spotted a chandelier, which seemed to be the sole source of light in the room, above the king's throne. Though her rational side argued against it, she wanted to have a better look at the Pale King to make sure he wasn't simply an illusion.

As Hornet was climbing towards the center of the room on the underside of the ceiling, she suddenly saw the Pale King's gaze shoot straight up and glare into her eyes. Then, a painful flash of pure white went through her mind and she heard a single word: _„...Fall..."._

The next thing Hornet remembered was waking up on the cold stone floor of the throne room. Looking around, she saw that any servants had left the room and that the doorway was fully blocked by the guards. She then looked ahead and saw the Pale King stare down at her.  
Quickly recovering and standing up, Hornet tried going for her needle, only to see it in the hands of the Pale King.

„_Why do you attempt violence in my precence, child?"_

Just like before she lost consciousness, Hornet heard his voice in her head.

„I apologize," she answered, adding: „ A warrior must never lose sight of their weapon, your majesty." Hornet almost forgot to say the last part, but luckily remembered what her mother had taught her about what to do when in the presence of the king.

„_Save your excuses for other times," _communicated the Pale King, then he asked: „_Tell me, why have you entered my great halls uninvited?"_

Hornet answered: „ There were great tremors and quakes coming from the Ancient Basin. I feared that something terrible had made its way here."

„_I see," _said the Pale King, then proclaiming: _„But instead of a foul beast you found that my great palace had returned. Very well." _

_ Suddenly_ his tone changed_ he asked: „Tell me now, child of Beast and God, how has Hallownest fared in my absence?" _

Hornet felt confused, didn't the king know of the kingdom's fate? She replied: „Hallownest has stood in ruin for many years, your Hollow Knight failed in containing the Infection."

The king looked genuinely surprised at that and Hornet continued: „ Only recently, when one of your other discarded Vessels made their way out of the Abyss, destroyed the dreamers and united the void, could the sickness inside the Black Egg be destroyed."

Hornet looked up at the Pale King, wating for an answer. Then, she heard a chuckle come from the king.

With a surprisingly positive sounding tone, he said: _„Well, it seems as if things worked out perfectly then."_

Hornet was apalled, it seemed as though the king simply didn't care about the plight that had plagued the bugs of Hallownest for decades.

She shouted: „How could you say such a thing? The kingdom is in shambles and most of those who inhabited it have suffered a terrible demise! Do you not care for those under-„

„_Silence," _ yelled the Pale King suddenly, anger visible on his face. Then his expression changed to one of amusement once again.

„_Your mind is clouded by pity to those who do not require it. What matters is that Hallownest still stands and can be repopulated."_

To that, Hornet asked: „And where do you plan on finding this many bugs willing to live in a previously collapsed kingdom?"

The Pale King chuckled again, then he said: _„No doubt you saw my army of Kingsmoulds_ _make their way out of the palace?."_  
Hornet only nodded and the Pale King continued: _„With the Radiance gone from these lands, I am able to extend my influence and mind far beyond the reaches of this kingdom. This army is infinitely loyal to me, as I control every single soldier within it._  
_They shall conquer any lesser civilization in their way and bring their people back here to bear witness to my brilliance."_ Hornet noticed that the king had stood up. _„Hallownest shall be greater than ever before," _he finally shouted, reaching his hands towards the throne room's ceiling.

Herrah had always taught that power was something to be careful with, as a large sum of it could drive even the greatest of bugs to insanity. Hornet realized that this was what had happened here. Something had to be done.

But before she could even say anything, the Pale King looked down at her again and said: _„I can sense the agression in your mind. Misguided righteous fury born from emotion."_

Then he declared: _„Even though you are far along a path of naivety, I still believe that you can be made to see the light."_

Suddenly, the Kingsmoulds at the door sprung into action and rushed towards Hornet. She quickly got into a fighting stance and then tried to jump over to the throne to grab her needle. Before she reached the king however, she was knocked back by a white barrier that appeared between her and her weapon.  
She then tried to launch her thread towards the door to quickly swing away, but was grabbed by one of the Kingsmoulds first. She tried to struggle out of the construct's grasp, only for the other one to restrain her as well.

The Pale King then started walking towards Hornet. He stopped when he was right in front of her, who couldn't do anything, being held firmly by the Kingsmoulds.

„_You should consider yourself lucky," _he said, then adding: _„If you weren't of my blood, I would have had you killed. But since my essence flows through you, I have decided to properly educate you into being a knight of Hallownest."_

„_This however,"_he brought out Hornet's needle,_ „holds too much sentiment for you to wield any longer." _With that said, his grip on the weapon tightened. Then, hundreds of cracks appeared on its surface with light shining through. A second later it exploded into thousands of tiny shards.

Hornet gasped, true to the king's word, the weapon held many memories of training with the Weavers, when they still populated Deepnest. Now, her trusty weapon had been destroyed as if it was made of glass.

„_I understand that my actions may seem drastic to you now,"_the Pale King spoke,_ „but you need to understand that everyone with potential must give their all to Hallownest."_

_ „However," he continued,"you still invaded my palace and must be punished because of it. You shall spend a month in the dungeons, where I hope you will think about what I have told you and understand my vision."_

Hornet tried struggling against her captors again, but the constructs didn't even budge. Then she saw one of them bring its hand above her head, then swing it downwards.

The Kingsmould hit her over the head and Hornet knew no more.

* * *

**Author's note: And there we have it. The first real step in this journey has been taken. The next chapter will probably take a while longer, since I have studying to do (also coming up with names is hard).**


	3. Chapter 2: Elsewhere

Chapter 2: Elsewhere

If you asked someone who knew Maxwell what they thought about him, then they'd probably say that he's a good kid. Asking them what he was like, would however most likely left you both answerless. Heck, even asking himself what kind of person he was would not result in an answer.

Max was one of those people who didn't really like to show any particular traits of his personality, even to people who personally knew him. Of course, this sort of behaviour puzzled his family and friends, even he didn't fully understand why he was like that.

Max was just sort of there, so to say. It didn't mean that being around him was boring, as you could still have a fairly satisfying conversation, be it about a new video game or something of the sort. It was simply hard to characterize him or see him as a part of a group.

This never bothered Max, as it meant that he didn't get too much attention, letting him do things that he liked, such as reading, looking up some kind of fact that interested him or doing crosswords.

Max's relationship with his parents was also good, altough his father often said that he should be more social with other teens.  
Something that was very good however, was his relationship with his uncle Adrian.

Adrian Reed didn't live in Phoenix like the rest of his family, instead, he resided in a small, middle-of-nowhere town in north-western Arizona called Elsewhere. This was also the place where Max had spent his summer vacations for the last six years. It was also where he was spending his current holiday.

This morning, however, would kick off a series of events after which, his life would never be the same.

* * *

Max, as usual, woke up to the Sun already high up in the sky. Even without getting up from the bed though, he immediately noticed that the light coming from behind the curtains of his room looked strange. Usually, the natural color of the Sunlight would be combined with the yellow of the curtains to create a very warm, homely glow. Right now, the glow and light looked more as if someone was shining a LED through the window.

This was strange. Max knew that it wasn't actually night, since if that was the case, he would feel much more tired. Sitting up, he took his clothes, a plain orange T-shirt and light-blue jeans, from the foot of the bed and started to get dressed. After that he stood up and pushed the curtains aside, curious about what was going on.

What he saw outside, was something he had never witnessed before. The Sun, which before had been the yellowish ball in the sky that probably every human on earth had seen at least once, now appeared completely white, with the sky surrounding it also sporting a paler hue than usual. Looking around some more, he noticed that everything else looked as usual. Just the same, small backyard that he'd grown to appreciate over the years.

Certain he'd ask Adrian about it afterwards, Max then followed his usual morning routine of heading into the bathroom, which was right across the hall from his room, washing his face, answering nature's call and then heading back to quickly check out if there was anything on the internet about the weird-looking Sun.

Picking up his laptop from beside the bed, he opened it and was surprised to find that there didn't appear to be any internet connection. The house usually had WiFi, since his uncle needed it to exchange information with his employers.

* * *

Going into the kitchen, Max was surprised to find his uncle there. Usually he'd have gone off by now. Adrian was sitting on a chair by the counter and seemed to be trying to get the radio, which was currently producing loud static, to work. When he noticed Max he said: „Damn thing's been unresponsive for the whole morning, the net's dead too. And from what I heard from the others it's like this over the whole town."

This made Max's confusion turn into worry, this combined with the strange-looking sun was starting to seem serious. Still, he knew that staying calm was probably the pest course of action so he asked: „You think this has something to do with what's going on with the sun?"

„The hell do I know," Adrian said, „Of course the neighbor 's already talking 'bout aliens." He chuckled dryly before getting up and continuing: „I promised Mary that I'd meet up with a few others at town hall by noon and considerin' that clocks still appear to be working the right way, I'd say that'd be pretty soon. You wanna come with?"  
That was something Adrian didn't have to ask twice. Of course Max wanted to go if it meant possibly finding out more about what was happening.

They both exited the one-story house and got into the pickup that was already standing on the side of the road, outside of the chain link fence surrounding the property. The car was something that Adrian had had for as long as Max could remember. Even when his uncle picked him up for his first day-long drive to Elsewhere, he still drove the white, orange-striped vehicle.

The drive to the town centre took a little less than ten minutes, since Adrian's house was on the far outskirts of it. From what he'd told, Elsewhere had been almost half its current size twenty years ago. That wasn't saying much though, since the town still only about had twenty buildings. While sitting in the car, Max saw that a magazine was tucked away beside the seat.

* * *

The town hall, which was pretty much in the dead centre of Elsewhere wasn't anything special. It was a two-story rectangular building mainly made of brick. From what Max knew, the building mainly had office rooms for the city officials, nothing too fancy.

Before he even exited the car with Adrian, Max could already recognize many of the vehicles parked on the side of the road. He'd never seen this sort of 'town meeting' happen before and considering some of the more interesting stories his uncle had told him, these were very rare.

Just before they were about to enter the building, the door opened and a middle-aged brunette woman dressed in a grey jacket and black dress pants stepped out.

„Hi Mary," greeted Adrian with a much more lightened expression than what the had before, „I see that a few people are already here. So how're things going?"

„Hello Adrian," the mayor greeted back, before answering: „We were just waiting for you to arrive before discussing things more in depth." She chuckled and then added: „Everyone else was so riled up that you're the only one that didn't come early."

„Well," Adrian said, „Some people just gotta learn to stay calm." Then, walking towards the door he said: „Let's go inside then, come on Max."

Just before they stepped in, Mary stopped them: „Listen Adrian, I don't think bringing Max was the best idea right now."

Adrian turned to face her. „What do you mean," he asked, looking somewhat annoyed.

„Listen,"said Mary, „Considering what you told me earlier, whatever is happening could be something no one's ever seen before. Kent's already getting everyone more anxious than we should be."

„Oh come on, Max can handle it, he's not a kid anymore."

„I know what you mean, but Kent's already going on about getting his guns out, he even brought one."

Hearing that, Adrian, for a moment, appeared to be in deep thought. The last point that had been made had struck a nerve.

„Okay. Max, you stay outside for a bit while I go calm things down, alright?"

Max, who had been observing their conversation from the side, simply nodded. The adults went into the building and he returned to the car to wair. He decided to kill time by checking out the magazine he'd spotted earilier. Adrian wasn't the type person who would buy inappropriate stuff, much less keep it in his car so Max didn't worry about seeing anything his uncle or parents wouldn't want him to see.

* * *

The magazine turned out to be about history, with this edition mainly having articles about ancient China. Max leaned against the car and started reading. After getting about halfway through the second article, he started hearing some sort of deep buzzing. Looking down the street, he spotted some sort of weird flying _thing _slowly moving down the street towards him.  
Looking at it closer, Max made out what looked like a beak on it. It didn't sound or move like a bird would though, with the buzzing and zig-zaggy movement, it looked more like a bug than anything.

Max was intrigued but also a bit frightened. The weird creature had gotten so close that he could make out parts of its anatomy very well now. It really seemed like some sort of inscet and bird hybrid. It had a bony looking beak, but its wings, which were moving so fast he could only see their putline, were seemingly more akin to an insect's. It also had no feathers or fur and a segmented body with the wings and legs being attached to the middle part.

Before Max had any time to even get up however, the oversized insect flew straight at him and bit into his hand. Yelling in pain and fright, he tried to shake it off his hand. The bug, which felt surprisingly light, tightened its hold on Max's hand tough, which made it hurt even more. Panicked, he then tried punching the beast with his free hand. The hit connected and his attacked let go of his hand, also getting knocked backwards in the air.

This didn't stop it though as it approached him again, trying to find a new spot to attack. Not thinking straight in fear, Max started running for the town hall's door, clutching his injured hand. And from the buzzing he heard behind him, the creature was hot on his trail.

Luckily, he was fast enough to outrun it and make it inside the building. Quickly slamming the door, he heard the insect furiously throwing itself against it, not comprehending how its prey was suddenly out of reach. Max sat down against the wall relieved, though his hand still hurt and was bleeding, he was safe for now.

Then, Max saw his uncle come out of one of the other doors in the main hall, closely followed by another man whom he recognised as Adrian's neighbor, Kent.

„Max? I heard you slam the door, is everything oka-„ Adrian cut himself off when he saw Max's bleeding hand. He exclaimed: „Your hand! What happened?"

Max quickly answered: „There was this flying thing outside and it bit me and-„

He was suddenly cut off by Kent: „What? What sorta flying thing?

„Well, it looked like somekinda bug, but it was the size of a falcon or something," Max said.

„Really," the man asked, while unholstering his pistol and moving closer to the door, which was still being slammed into from the other side.

„Yeah, I'm serious," Max said, getting up and backing further away from the door.

Kent put his hand on the handle and leaned agains the door with his gun at the ready. „Then let's give this alien one hell of a welcome!"

He pulled the handle down, then forcefully pushed the door open. Max could see that the creature was knocked back, but after a few moments it recovered and screeched at the group inside the building. Before it could charge though, a loud crack was heard and the insect fell onto the ground, unmoving, with a hole in its head-segment.

While Kent approached the dead creature, Max and his uncle went over to the latter's pickup where he got out a first aid kit, used an alcohol swab to clean the former's hand, then started to wrap a bandage around it.

„This doesn't look too bad, but we'll drop by Tom's office later and let him have a proper look at it," Adrian said after he finished wrapping. He then asked: „Can you move your hand?"

Max tried and even though it hurt, he could thankfully still move his hand and all his fingers.  
„Stay by the car for now, okay," Adrian then said, „I'm going to go see what's up with this 'alien'."

Max nodded and Adrian started walking back towards Kent and the creature's corpse. At that moment, the others, who had heard the gunshot, started coming out of the town hall to see what was going on. Max could see that deputy Rojas even had his hand on the holster.

Deciding to not pay attention to what was happening over at the bug-monster, he picked up the magazine from where he had dropped it earlier and started reading again. Even then, he could still hear Kent's louder-than-normal tone.

* * *

People shouldn't be generalized based on preconception, Max had been taught that for his entire life. Kent Hayes however, was probably the closest thing he'd ever seen to a redneck.

Kent almost always wore a flannel shirt with a denim vest on top and a pair of jeans with a really thick and heavy looking belt. He also owned quite a few firearms, which, as Max had now seen, he could be pretty accurate with.

He was also an avid listener to conspiracy theories on the radio, especially those concerning aliens and, according to Adrian, he even knew a preson who ran one of these stations. That didn't mean he was unpleasant to be around, infact sometimes, listening to the stories he liked to pass on could prove to be really entertaining.

* * *

After Adrian was done explaining the situation to the mayor and Rojas, he returned to the pickup and the two drove to the town's clinic. Because there were no scheduled patients for the day, Dr Thomas Bright was able to look at Max's wound right away. Luckily, the hand didn't show any signs of infection, so after taking a quick blood test and rewrapping it, the two were free to go.

It was already about midday, as even though the Sun's color was different, it still seemed to move at its usual speed. Since being attacked by an oversized insect took quire a bit of energy off him and since Max only now realized that he had forgotten to eat breakfast, the two drove to Ace's, the only diner in Elsewhere. About half an hour later they headed back to the car, Max having eaten a BLT sandwich and Adrian simply ordering a salad saying he'd had a good breakfast.

Adrian then asked if Max wanted to be taken back home or if he wanted to come with him, since he was going for around outside of town. Since the internet was still seemingly down and the radio didn't seem to be doing any better, Max said that he was okay with tagging along, though he planned on staying in the car in case any more of those large insects showed up.

After driving off the road and then up one of the taller hills in the surrounding area, Adrian stopped the pickup and got out, carrying his binoculars. He then looked at something on the horizon with them.

„This ain't right at all," he muttered. Then he looked at Max, who was looking out of the pickup window, handed him the binoculars and asked: „Tell me what d'you make of that."  
Max, confused, took the binoculars and looked through them. He didn't see anything at first, but then he noticed that at a distance of about six hundred feet, there was a weird, white shimmer. Looking closer, he noted that it sort of looked like when air seems warped in a hot temperature or the backs of a jet plane's turbines

Though this looked much more _solid_ somehow. It also had a strangely white hue, not too dissimilar to the Sun's. He then noticed that it ran as a definite line across the desert in what seemed like a circular shape. Tracing it, he saw that it encircled the entirety of Elsewhere, reaching the area behind the mountains west of the town.

„You see that," Adrian asked. Max nodded. „Whatever it is," Adrian continued," it was much closer in the morning. I don't believe in that extraterrestrial stuff Kent's always yapping about, but I'm certain that this circle's got something to do with our net and radios not working."

„Atleast it's getting bigger, not smaller," Max said.

„You're right about that my dear nephew," Adrian replied, sighing, „ You are right about that."

* * *

Since there wasn't much else to see on the eastern side, Adrian then decided to check out the area towards the mountains. Just as they were driving through the town however, he suddenly pulled up by the road and stopped the car. Before Max could ask him what was wrong, he was interrupted when he heard some sort of rumbling that seemed to come from the direction they were driving towards. Adrian looked at him and asked: „You hearin' that?" Max nodded, saying: „Yeah."

Before they could get back on the road though, a large four wheeler with police sirens drove beside them and stopped. Deputy Rojas, whom the car belonged to, leaned out of the window, looking very alarmed. „Adrian, get in, you've got to see this," he said.

The two inside the pickup were surprised, as the lawman was usually very calm. The latter then quickly got out of his car and into the 4x4. Before they drove away, Adrian told Max: „Look, stay in the car until I get back. Hopefully this won't take long."

Before Max even had a chance to answer, the other vehicle sped away. He once again alone and the weird sound his uncle and the deputy had sped towards seemed to be getting stronger by the second. Weirdly enough, it sounded rythmic, as if if a lot of people were running infact.

Twenty minutes later, his uncle hadn't returned yet and the sound now appeared to be coming from very near. Suddenly, Max saw a group of figures appear from behind the corner the deputy's car had drove to before. These weren't people, that was apparent immideately. They wore, what appeared to be gleaming white armor, over most of their bodies, with the areas that weren't covered closely resembling the limbs of insects. They also had six of them. Two to act as legs and four that appeared to have the roles of arms, with which they were carrying large schythe looking things.

Max was truly scared now. First the bug-monster, now these things which appeared even more hazardous. And they seemed organized as well, marching in a perfect column of four. Suddenly, one of them turned its head towards the pickup truck. All of them stopped marching on the spot. Then, out of nowhere, Max heard a voice say: _„...submit..." _The moment the phrase's echo stopped, two of the creatures broke off from the group and started sprinting towards the car.

Max haphazardly locked all the doors in the pickup, then he tried to hide himself in front of his seat. He was expecting that the assailants would go for the windows first, yet instead he heard a loud and unpleasant creaking noise from his side. Then, the vehicle shook and suddenly, the door on his side was yanked off.

Atleast three hands went to grab him at once. Max tried to struggle and fight back, but the creature, who had just single-handedly removed a door from his uncle's pickup, was not deterred. Still, even though he was surrounded by these creatures, the young man still attempted to struggle. That was met with one of them dropping its schythe, restraining him with all four of their hands and another one stopping right in front of him. Before Max knew anything else, the insect-thing hit him on the head with the side of its weapon and he blacked out.

* * *

Max felt horrible. He was at a weird angle in an uncomfortable position. Also, his legs felt like they were scraping against something. He opened his eyes and realized he wasn't in his bed. Then, everything that had happened in the day came flooding back to him. He looked around and saw that his arms were restrained by two of the creatures that had attacked him earlier. The two were _dragging_ him.

'Atleast I wore long jeans today,' Max thought. Attempting to look around some more he noticed that they were approaching the mountains and that it was dark, yet there appeared to be some light in the sky above. He figured that it was the sunset, blocked by the cliffs ahead. He then noticed, that he could hear more sets of footsteps and the sound of more objects, probably other people, being dragged. He also heard what sounded like quiet crying coming from behind him.

Figuring, that he could never break free of his captors' hold, Max simply stayed limp and tried to fall asleep. After a while, it worked.

* * *

**Well here you go. I apologize for the long wait. Studying is important. Feel free to point out any mistakes I made about southern US culture. **

**PS: But really do though, I've only gotten a picture of life over there from google searches and the first Cars movie.**


	4. Chapter 3: Descent

Chapter 3: Descent

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

Max woke up on the ground. He shakily rose to his knees, feeling horrible from being dragged across the desert. Warily looking around, he saw that the sky had become completely black and that he was currently situated on an even area, seemingly about halfway up the mountain. A few feet away, there was a pole stuck into the ground. Attached to the top, was a glass bulb that had some sort of bright light source inside. The creatures who had captured him were keeping guard towards the ledge, encircling him and the others they had captured, whom Max could actually see now.

There were seven people on the ledge, excluding him and their armored captors, all of whom Max recognized. He could see the elderly barista from Ace's, Mrs Philips, laying on the ground and clutching her head while moaning, clearly in pain. Then there was the Johnson family, the two adults of which were currently huddled together, cradling their five-year-old twin children. Finally, he could see Dr Bright and deputy Rojas, the former currently tying a makeshift sling around the latter's arm.

Rojas then noticed that Max had woken up. He signaled for him to come closer with his free hand. The young man, still slightly drowsy, walked to the two men and sat down beside them.  
"Hey, kid, you okay,"Rojas asked in a low voice.

"I think so," Max replied,"Head hurts a bit, but not much."

Rojas chuckled dryly, then said: "Looks like you got off easy then. Bastards nearly tore my arm off."

"Oh shut up," the doctor suddenly spoke up, "Damn thing was just dislocated." He finished tying the sling and stood up to go check on Mrs Philips who was still laying on the ground. Rojas however turned himself towards Max.

"Before you ask, your uncle's okay," the deputy said. "Atleast I think he is," he continued," Last I saw of him was when he drove for it in my car."

This confused Max. " So Adrian left you to be captured," he asked.

„No, of course not," said the lawman, "was my own fault getting out of the car. He couldn't have saved me in any way."

Max sighed with relief, then asked: "Where you think they're taking us?"

Rojas's face turned serious. "Hell if I know," he answered.

Suddenly, as if on que, they could hear quiet marching. It got louder and louder until Max could see a small light, somehow coming from inside the mountain that was behind them. Then though, figures carrying the light came into view and he could see that there was a tunnel inside the cliff. The figures appeared to be armored like the creatures who had captured him earlier, yet instead of white armor, theirs appeared to be dark blue. Also, instead of being overly tall, these creatures seemed to be relatively the same size as a human.

The group, which consisted of at least ten, made their way towards the prisoners and their captors. Most were carrying strange looking swords, while two of them were carrying short sticks with lanterns at the end. When they reached the light coming from the larger source, they stopped.  
Then, the figure who was in front of the others stepped forward and yelled something in a language, which Max couldn't recognize. He noticed though, that the creature who had spoken had a different helmet than the others.

The armored figure then yelled something again. Dr Bright, who had been helping Mrs Philips, stood up and, gesturing at himself and at the creature, said: "I'm sorry, We do not understand what you are saying." He pronounced each word very clearly, though that probably didn't help with the labguage barrier.

The apparent leader of the blue-wearing group stayed silent for a few moments, before turning towards the other creatures and loudly speaking something. They then pointed their hand at the humans. With the order having been apparently given, the others started towards the humans.  
Max found himself being pulled to his feet by one of them, while another did the same with the deputy. Getting a close look at these new beings that had captured him, Max started noticing a running theme with the creatures he had recently encountered, as they too closely resembled insects.

Their arms, which were uncovered by armor, were black and rigid on the touch, very closely resembling the exoskeleton of a bug. Also, he noticed that two of them had what appeared to be pairs of large, transparent wings on their backs.

* * *

The bug-knights, after getting every human on their feet, then started to escort them into the cave, with the one who had spoken earlier marching at the very front. They walked for some time, before coming to an opening to a different, larger tunnel. This new cavern looked much less natural, like the one they'd entered from, and more man-made. There were wooden supports on by the walls and the ceiling, the walls themselves appeared smooth and the ground was paved with cobblestone. The large tunnel also seemed to be fairly long, but it was hard to tell in the dark.

The bugs now started to march down this tunnel, pushing the humans along. Even though there wasn't much light, Max still payed some attention to his surroundings. Every once in a while, he could hear some sort of noise in front of them, along with something small and fast-moving disappearing into a hole or crack in the wall. Max figured that they were the critters who made their home in these caves, scurrying away from the light and sounds that were made by the bugs and their prisoners.

It took a while for Max to realise, but at one moment, he noticed that the tunnel was heading downwards. The angle wasn't too steep, but it was still visible, even in the dark. They continued walking for at least fifteen minutes. Max's feet were starting to hurt and Rojas, who was in front of him, didn't seem to be doing that well either. At one point, he heard what sounded like stumbling, come from behind. Attempting to look back though, was met with a whack to the to the back of his head from the bug that was marching beside him.

After some more walking, Max started to notice a faint glow ahead. Not soon after, the group of humans and their captors reached a new opening. This lead to a ledge, overlooking a large underground canyon. The ravine was lit up by what seemed to be white, glowing leaves, which seemed to be endlessly floating down from somewhere. The other side of the gorge looked looked like a giant stone wall had been built into it, with various large pipes coming out of the lower area of the structure.

Max could see that there was a stone bridge connecting the ledge on their side of the ravine to the other side, which had a more artificial looking platform. The bridge seemed sturdy, though it seemed that it was wide enough for only one person.

Then, the leader of the bugs barked an order, followed by them and another one crossing the bridge. When they reached the other side , the captain shouted another order, after which the soldier escorting Rojas pushed the latter infront of him and the nudged him forwards. The deputy started to carefully step across the chasm with the guard following closely. The two made it across without much trouble, but with Max being next in line, it also meant that it was now his turn.

'Don't look down,' was the only thing that Max could think of while he was making his way to the other side and, surprisingly enough, it worked. After he and his companion were across, he was shown to stand by the stone wall with Rojas. From his new position, he could see that the next one to cross was Mrs Philips. Though she seemed to be doing much better than before, the bug still had to support her from behind.

Before anyone else could cross however, one of the bugs suddenly shouted in their language and pointed at something in the air. Looking up, Max could see a flying creature. This one was different from the one that had attacked him yesterday. Its mask-face had four eyes with two horns on top and attached to its body was a large orange sack. Seeing it, the bugs on both sides of the ravine suddenly seemed very alarmed. The leader pointed at the flyer and shouted and order. Then, one of the winged soldiers jumped into the air and started flying towards it. This seemed to provoke the smaller creature, as it lunged forward as well.

The creature then did something unexpected, for the humans at least. It _spit _at the advancing soldier, which resulted in three orange blobs flying out from under its mask. The attacker quickly changed their course to avoid being hit by one of them, but dodged right into the one flying above it. This caused them to make a pained yell and be flung backwards, while the spit-bug flew towards the rest of the group. Before it could spit at them though, it was pierced from the back by the flying soldier's weapon, which he had thrown.

The smaller bug was flung forward and landed in front of Max, who recoiled in response to the gruesome sight. Somehow though, there was still some life inside of it and it let out a loud screech. It was cut short by the flying bug landing and pulling their weapon out of its body, which finally killed it.

* * *

After that, the remaining humans could be brought over. First were the Johnsons, whose walk over the chasm was fairly eventless. Then, halfway through Dr Bright's crossing, loud buzzing could suddenly be heard. A few moments later, the could all see multiple creatures, identical to the one they'd seen before, emerge out of various openings in the ravine. Seeing this, both the doctor and the bug behind him rushed to the other side without any consideration for safety. The group's leader then shouted something, pointing at the doorway in the wall behind them.

After making their way inside, the bugs once again forced the humans into a row, like the one they'd been in before, and continued escorting them. Very soon, the tunnel came to an end and the group found themselves in another larger area. This one seemed much more like the interior of a building, with the walls and ceiling made out of carved blue stone. There were multiple floors visible, with staircases to connecting them. The bottom of the large hall appeared to be in disrepair, as large parts of its floor were cracked or flooded.

Continuing along the second floor platform, the humans were then directed through another doorway and ended up on a semi-open area that closely resembled a train station's platform. There was even a metal bench. On the far end of the platform were two posts: one holding up various signs and another that had a golden bell attached to it.

The bugs' leader shouted an order, evidently telling his subordinates to stand still as they all stopped, boxing the humans in as well. Then, he walked up to the bell and hit it with his weapon, ringing it at a volume that seemed way too loud for an instrument that size. Not soon after, the ground started shaking and a large creature ran up to the side of the platform.

Much like the other living things Max had encountered here so far, it too looked like an insect. This new creature resembled a rhino beetle, with a long horn between its eyes and, weirdly enough, a long grey beard on the lower part of its head. It had six long legs, all of which were attached to its midsection, and strapped onto its back were two cushiony looking seats.

The leader of bug-soldiers then said something to the large beetle and, to Max's surprise, the other bug actually answered in a deep, scratchy voice. It then moved forwards and a carriage came into view, being pulled by the insect. It was construced out of dark blue metal, with a decorated roof and wheels. The vehicle was obviously meant for prisoners though, with the giant lock and barred window on the door.

The inside confirmed that even further, with nothing but a wide, wooden seat by the wall of the carriage, probably so it could fit as many prisoners as possible. One-by-one, the humans were pushed into the chamber. It wasn't unlit, a single lamp hung from the ceiling, but it was still mostly dark.

* * *

Max sat down on the poor excuse for a bench. He was tired from all the walking and very overwhelmed from everything that he'd seen in the last few hours. The creatures that had kidnapped him and everyone else were something completely alien, yet, from what he'd seen, they seemed to live right here, underground.  
All the others were quiet, keeping to themselves. The only exception was Mrs Johnson, who was silently trying to hush one of her children, who'd started crying in her lap.

Suddenly, the entire carriage lurched forward and started moving. The pace seemed to be a slightly faster one than what Max would have excpected from a vehicle like that. Even after that, everything stayed quiet. Nobody said a single thing. It felt almost supernatural, though Max didn't even know what was supernatural anymore and what wasn't. This silent journey went on for some time, only the rattling of the carriage's wheels being audible.  
At one point, Max noticed that the vehicle felt slightly angled.

About ten minutes after they started moving, the carriage came to a stop. This seemed to snap its occupants out of their sulking, as they looked around with uncertainty. The door was the opened and the bug who opened it motioned with their hand for the humans to come out.

Stepping out, Max saw the platform they'd arrived at was much different that the one than the last one. Everything was much darker and greyer: the stone walls and ceiling, the metal fence on the side of the path meant for the large insect. He also spotted, weirdly enough, giant spools of thread standing all around the cavern. Before he could look at anything else in the cavern, the leader of the soldiers shouted an order and he was, once again, boxed in with the others. They started walking towards a doorway that seemed have a lot of light shining through from the other side.

After a moment of getting used to the bright light on the other side, what Max saw next made him gasp and, from what he could hear, he wasn't the only one. Standing in an enormous cavern, was a giant white building, the likes of which he'd never seen before. A gargantuan palace with four tall spires surrounding a larger structure in the center. It was all bordered by spikes, which formed a semi circle.

The humans were then directed forwards what seemed to be the only visible entrace to the palace. The gate was designed to look like some sort of insect with long, spiky horns on its head. There were also two bugs guarding the gate, but unlike the ones that were escorting him and the others, these ones had white armor. Behind the gate was a long hallway, which was bordered with ornate windows and large pots with plants that seemed as pale as everything else in that place.

While being pushed through the hall, for a moment, Max was sure he heard a disembodied voice say: _"...Welcome..."_

* * *

It was certain that their jorney through the underground would be coming to an end soon, Max was sure of that. But what would it mean? Why were they even captured in the first place?

After a few minutes of walking, the group reached the end of the hallway and went through another doorway. There, found themselves in a large hall. Unlike the other places Max had seen before in the underground, this one seemed to be bustling with life. Bugs dressed in pure white moved around everywhere, either empty handed or carrying something. It all seemed to be happening in some sort of system, as they hurried in and out of doors or up and down of staircases.

Suddenly, one of the white clad bugs walked up to their group's leader and said something to them, pointing at one of the doors in the hall. The fancy-helmeted soldier answered with some kind of phrase and then started heading towards the location that he was directed towards, the other bugs pushing the humans in the same direction.

At that point, some of the other bugs had started to notice the unusual figures being escorted by guards. Max could hear quite a few gasps and noticed that some of them had even stopped whatever they were doing to get a better look. He noticed that Rojas seemed uncomfortable, which was understandable. The man wasn't that fond of attention and had moved to Elsewhere just because of that.

The door, that the bug in white had pointed out, lead to a medium sized, unlit room. There didn't seem to be much there, from what Max could make out, just half-pillars on the sides of the walls and a raised stage-like area on the far side of it. Five of the soldier-bugs then lined the humans up in a row in front of the stage, with one closing the door behind them, making the room even darker.

Then, a door Max hadn't seen before in the dark opened in the back of the room and a figure, who was somehow emitting light, stepped through and onto the raised area. This creature was about the size of the humans and aside from being able to light the entire room, they also seemed to have a very regal atmosphere around them, even more so than the rest of the palace. They were wearing long robes that were pure white and on their head were numerous horns that seemed identical to the ones Max saw on the gate to the palace.

* * *

Suddenly, Max heard the same disembodied voice he'd encountered twice before: _"Welcome to Hallownest, my dear new subjects."_

Max was baffled. This voice seemed to somehow be coming from the figure standing before him.

The voice continued: _"I can feel your fears and I understand them, but you needn't worry: there is nothing to be afraid of." _

There was a pause, then he continued: _"I am the Pale Wyrm, god of Hallownest and now, all that lays beyond.  
You are the first from the outside world to have the honor to witness my great kingdom. I've had you brought here by my loyal guard for a purpose."_

There was another pause.

"_You see, a great tragedy has struck my beloved old domain. One that has claimed the lives of many of my subjects. Yet I live eternally and have now chosen that it is now time for the creatures of the world to experience the majesty and purity of Hallownest!"_

As he said it, Max saw that the light that was coming from him got even brighter. He then also felt that he couldn't move a muscle or even say anything, only stare at the figure who was standing in front of him.

"_You will become good citizens. I know there are some who resisted, but you need not worry. They too will be brought here to understand my word. Now however, we must do one more thing before you are ready to bring new life to Hallownest."_

From behind the king, eight of the white clad servants, whom Max figured had entered from the back door, suddenly appeared, each of them carrying some sort object in their hands. The bugs walked down from the sides of the stage and in front of the humans. Then they placed the items they were carrying down, one for each of the captives.

After the servants had left, Max found he could look down at the object in front of his feet. It appeared to be some sort of mask made out of a material that resembled bone. There were two stubby horns coming out from the top with two more on the sides, both pairs pointing upwards. It also had two eyeholes and a 'mouth' that resembled one you'd see on a puppet. The shape of it somewhat resembled a bowl.

Suddenly, in an authorative tone, the Pale King said: _"Put them on."_

Max noticed that he had started sweating. He slowly bent over and reached his hands towards the mask, not even fully sure if it was him who was doing it or something else making his limbs move. The moment his hands touched his hands touched the white object, he could feel a tingling sensation in them. The mask itself was about as heavy as a ceramic bowl so Max didn't have much of an issue raising it up. He turned it around and found that, weirdly enough, the inside was entirely black. Then, taking a deep breath, he put it on his face.

The moment he made contact with the piece of headwear, Max felt as if his entire head started burning. It felt as though the mask was being _welded_ into his face. The pain was almost unbearable and he felt like throwing up from how much his head was spinning. It didn't seem clear which side was up and which was down anymore, everything around him seemed extremely sharp and also very muffled and hazy at the same time. For a moment, he thought he was going to pass out.

* * *

As suddenly as the pain had come, it left. Max found himself on his hands and knees on the floor. Then he noticed that he could freely move again. Shakily, he stood up, still weakened by the experience. Looking around, he saw that all the other humans who had been brought here with him were laying on the floor, unconcsious. Turning around, he saw that the guards at the door seemed very surprised. Weirdly enough, it seemed as though he could understand their expressions much more clearly than before.

"_What is supposed to be the meaning of this," _the voice of the Pale king suddenly said from the stage, making Max look back towards him.

"_Why are you still awake,"_he continued, _"the process should have made you fall asleep like your companions." _

Max didn't have an answer, he had no idea what was going on anymore.

"I-I have no-," he was cut off by the royal bug.

"_Silence!" _Then, in a calmer tone he said: _"Please, approach so I can have a better look at your condition."_

For a second, Max hesitated, before walking closer to the raised platform where the king stood.

The Pale King also stepped closer to Max, shortening the distance between them. When the king reached the edge of the stage, he leaned forwards and peered towards him. Max, who had also stopped suddenly felt, as if the two, black eyes were looking into his very soul. He could feel another headache, right on the forehead this time, as the Pale King seemed to strenghtened his gaze.

Max suddenly felt a yellow flash _in his mind_, which made the pain, once again, stop completely. The Pale King recoiled backwards, seemingly at what had happened.

"_...Heresay...Resistance...," _sounded through Max's head as the king stood at full height, his eyeholes somehow expressing anger.

"_Guards, Apprehend him," _he shouted, pointing a finger at the human in front of him.

This caused the two soldiers, who had been watching the events unfold from the door, to rush into action. Though Max tried to get out of their way, he was still too disoriented so one of the guards managed to land a blow to his gut. Another one then grabbed onto his arms, restraining them. The two bugs pushed him in front of the Pale King who, in a dark tone said: _"I shall not allow one of your kind to freely terrorize my kingdom, renegade. I shall leave you alive for now, with your freedom, of course, taken."_

He looked at the guard who was holding Max and said something to him that remained unheard to anyone else. The blue-armored bug said: "Yes, my lord."  
Then, he released Max's right arm and used his to punch him in the back of the head.

For the second time that day, Max lost consciousness.

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

The White Palace was a place of splendour. Designed and built to showcase the greatness and unending power of the Pale King. The large cavern in the Ancient Basin, that it was situated in, was lit up by the glow of the many lanterns placed on its walls, amplified by the reflection of their light on the smooth stone walls of the massive building.

Yet there was one place in that cavern, one where the 'Daughter of Deepnest' now found herself in, where the light from above could only slightly be seen. Beneath the White Palace, but still above the Abyss, there were Hallownests dungeons, built from dark grey stone, which was enchanted to be nearly unbreakable. Once used to imprison those who had broken the kingdom's law, they now stood empty, save for Hornet and the guard assigned to her. This wasn't one of the constructs who guarded the king, but a blood-and-shell sentrybug. A number of them had been part of the palace's stasis, but now, they could continue their duty as dungeon guards.

Hornet sat in her cell. It wasn't anything special, consisting of two raised platforms to act as beds, a hole in the corner for requirements that she understood the moment she glanced inside and chains on the walls which she thankfully wasn't shackled to. The thing keeping her from freedom, was a wall made of metal bars, outside of which, was a guard whom Hornet could recognize as some sort of larger beetle.

She had been here for at least a day now. When she had first woken up, her first action was to try and grab her needle to pry open the bars. Then she remembered what had happened before.

To a bug of Deepnest, it was the greatest dishonor to cry, as it was the ultimate show of fragility. During most of her life, Hornet lived by this rule, not even crying when she was mourning her mother's death.  
Though now, she couldn't keep the drops of water from rolling down her mask. This needle had been a gift and, most importantly, a show of respect from the Weavers who loved her as much as Herrah had. Now, it had simply been deemed unnecessary by the king and destroyed in a heartbeat.

Hornet also found that her red coat, identical to the Weavers', had a large tear in its side. If she had her sewing kit, she'd have fixed it in a few moments, but she was confined to this cell, disarmed, dishonored and without any way to escape.

Though after a while, she managed to calm herself and decided to meditate to pass the time.

Suddenly, she was shaken out of her thoughts when a loud metallic clang could be heard and the reinforced door on the far side of the hallway outside opened up. Through the doorway came another guard, dragging something behind them.  
On closer inspection, Hornet saw that the something was a someone. From her spot at the back of the cell, she could spot a typical mask of a Hallownest bug, but not anything else.

Having gotten closer, the new guard adressed the one already there in a gruff voice: "Need a cell for this one. King's orders."

The sentry stationed at Hornet's cell responded: "Just put them right here." He pointed toward's the chamber behind him.

"You've gotta be kidding," the other one spoke, "the damn spider won't leave 'im alive for a minute."

"Trust me," Hornet's guard said, "I've kept watch on Deepnesters before, they won't kill if it could result in pain."

He picked up a staff that was standing up against the wall. The handle was constructed out of wood and the metal tip was made so it could contain an electric lumafly. A jab with the tip would have given a shock that hurt and stunned its victim.

The gruff voiced guard nodded slightly, then said: "Alright, but if he dies, I'm a make sure you're held accountable, not me."

* * *

While one guard opened the door, the other held the stunstaff at the ready, should the cell's sole inhabitant try something. Then, the one who opened the door simply tossed the unconscious figure inside.

After the door had been quickly shut, the two guards exchanged something akin to goodbyes and the one who had brought the other bug left the dungeons. Hornet however, decided to have a better look at her new cellmate. What she saw, left her speechless. The creature that had been brough there might have had the mask of a bug, but their body was very different.

For starters, most of it was covered by clothing, which Hornet knew as being something only for vanity or distinguishing one's self. The parts that weren't covered with clothes were a very light colour and seemed very different from the shell of a bug.  
It seemed more soft, like the skin of a maggot or a worm. Unlike these creatures though, who posessed simple forms that weren't held together by anything, its build still somehow resembled a bug.

Something that made Hornet wary, was the color of the garment on the creature's chest. The bright orange bearing close resemblance to the cysts caused by the Infection. Though, what was the point of keeping it in the dungeons if it was infected anyway?

The clothing on its legs was colored light blue and, appearing the strangest to Hornet, the objects at the tops of its legs were black.

Again sitting down with her legs crossed, Hornet decided that she was going to observe the creature until it woke up. Though appearance wise, it didn'y look very strong, it could still be agressive.  
Keeping her eyes pointed straight at it, looking for any sign of movement. After some time, tiredness started to rear its head, but Hornet forced herself to stay awake.

After more time passed however, she couldn't stay awake any longer and slouched over.

* * *

**And thus, another chapter appears. Please be sure to let me know how you think with a review. I'll gladly accept any positive or constructive feedback.**


	5. Chapter 4: Cellmates

Chapter 4: Cellmates

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

The first two things Max registered, when he opened his eyes, were that it was dark and uncomfortable. Sitting up, he squinted his eyes to get some kind of idea about his surroundings. He saw that wherever he was, it was constructed out of stone. Leaning back slightly, his hands went to his eyes to rub out the remaining sleep. Instead of reaching them though, his hands hit something hard.

Confused, he grasped for his face with a full palm. It was met with a smooth, sturdy-feeling surface. Then, Max remembered the mask. Quickly, his hands went up again to try and pull it off, but however it was staying on his head, it stuck and wouldn't come off. Max started breathing faster when he noticed something else: he could _feel_ the touch on the mask. This wasn't just a small pressure on his face underneath the mask, touching it with his finger felt like he was poking his own skin.

Max also remembered the events that had happened at the palace. How something had gone wrong, which had angered the bug who called himself 'god of Hallownest'. Looking around some more, he saw that the room he was in was cut off from a stone hallway with long bars, forming a see-through wall, with a small door at the side of the wall. A dim light was produced by a white lantern, attached to the wall outside. Then it hit Max. He was in a jail cell.

Despite the cool enviroment, Max started to hyperventilate. He'd gone off and, even though on accident, angered a creature with seemingly godlike powers, who even called himself as such. The last thing that'd been said to him before he was knocked out was that he'd be ket alive _for now_. Did that mean he was going to be killed later?

Leaning himself against one of the walls, Max felt a few tears run down his face. He really wasn't a kind of person who would cry often. Of course it had happened a few times when he hurt himself as a young child, but almost never after he became ten.

He looked around the cell he was in. It seemed like a typical medieval-style dungeon, with chains hanging off walls, miserable looking wood platforms for beds and no toilet to speak of. Suddenly, Max noticed something that made him feel as if his heart had stopped for a moment. There was someone in the cell with him.

Sitting in a cross-legged position, was a sleek figure wearing a wide, red cloak, with which most of their body was covered by. Their entire head was covered by the same type of white mask that Max too now posessed, though their's had long horns that were unlike any he had yet seen. There was a strange feel about her that he couldn't place.

Max stopped himself. Why had he just thought of her as female? He could of course immideately tell if a human was a man or woman, but she was a bug. Of a race that seemed to be able to construct entire roads and castles underground, but still a different species. Still, something in his head told him that the bug was female.

Confused, but also curious, Max stood up and started to slowly walk to his companion's side of the cell. When he reached the bed she was sitting on though, he didn't know what to do next. He was certain that the cloaked bug was sleeping or at least resting and that trying to wake her up was most likely a bad idea. Max decided that for now, he'd sit beside her and wait. While settling down on a spot however, the bench emitted a low creak.

Her head suddenly snapped towards him and a fraction of a second later, Max felt a pain in the back of his head as he was slammed against the wall. He found himself being stared at by two black eyes that, in a way Max still didn't understand, expressed anger, their owner forcefully holding him in one place.

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

Hornet glared at the creature that she had pinned against the wall, at the same time internally scolding herself for letting him get so close. She could smell the distinct scent of a male bug as well as the strong precenses of surprise and fear. For a moment, Hornet wondered why she hadn't felt his male-scent earlier, before dismissing that thought and instead asking in a sharp, demanding voice: "Why did you approach me? Answer, creature!"

The stranger, in a fearful, but also surprised tone, stuttered: "Wait what? H-how can I understand you?"

Hornet was dumbfounded. "What in the name of Unn is that supposed to mean?, she said in a harsh tone, "I am talking to you, that's how."

"You're not speaking _Ing-lish_," the creature said, "How am I even able to ta-" He stopped and Hornet noticed that the weird soft shell on his neck was glistening in the lantern's light. She quickly pushed herself away from the stranger, since she knew that some species secreted corrosive or poisonous liquids as a natural defence.

The stranger stumbled for a second, before regaining his balance and raising his hands up. "Please, don't hurt me! I'm sorry I walked over to you," he said, fear still audible in his voice.

The warrior relaxed a bit. Whatever it was, the stranger didn't appear to be very dangerous. The way he moved reminded of Hallownest's commonfolk, rather than a fighter. She eased her fighting stance. He noticed it and asked: "So, no hard feelings?"

"Very well," She replied, then saying in a demanding way: "But you're telling me why my _speech_ surprises you."

"Okay," the creature said with a slightly calmer voice, "it's just that somehow neither of us are speaking _Ing-lish_ right now."

There was that strange word again. "Is that the tounge of your kind," Hornet asked, now much less agressive towards her outlandish companion.

"I guess so," he answered, "I mean, there's like hundreds of other languages all over the world but I can only speak _Ing-lish_, atleast I thought I could."

Hornet was taken aback by this. The Idea of so many languages, in what she could only figure were the lands beyond Hallownest, seemed unheard of to her. In the kingdom and the regions surrounding it, the bugs mostly spoke the same way, with only the hive-minded Shrumes in the Fungal Wastes having their own way of communication.

She was brought out of her thoughts by the stranger. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yes," Hornet answered, "I was simply thinking. Is there really such a vast world beyond Hallownest?"

"Uh huh," he responded, before sitting down on the bench Hornet had slept on earilier.

Now curious about the creature, she walked towards the wooden platform. Seeing her come closer, there was momentary uncertainty in the his eyes. It disappeared when she simply sat down beside him.

They sat there for about a minute, before the silence was broken by the creature: "What do you think they're going to do to me?"

"That depends," Hornet said, adding in a bitter voice: "the _king _sentenced me down here because he thinks that it will make me loyal to him, understand his ludicrous plans of invasion."

"Guess I got to experience them first hand," sighed her companion.

* * *

Over the next ten minutes or so, the creature told Hornet how he was forcefully brought to Hallownest with a few more of his kin. She also learned that his name was Max, which prompted a proper introduction from her as well.

Max finished off his tale with how, in the palace above, something had happened when he put on the bug's mask and how the Pale King had him brought where he was now because of it.

"I still don't get how I can speak to and understand you though," Max said, "I couldn't understand a word of what the guards or the servants were saying earlier."

Though advanced magic was something that she didn't understand very well, Hornet believed she had an idea about how it was possible.

"It could be the mask you were made to wear," she said, which made the hyu-man (by her mother's silk, was that a strange word) look at her in disbelief.

"Why in the world would a mask grant me knowledge in other languages," he asked, voice slightly raised, adding: "And why do all of you wear masks anyway?"

"A mask is very important to a bug," Hornet started to explain, "when Hallownest had yet to be founded, the first bugs to gain higher thought did so with masks left by higher beings who'd left these lands. When the Wyrm came, his influence helped the bugs unify under one kingdom, though some tribes left themselves out."  
Like a child of nobility should have been, Hornet was taught history when she was young. She hadn't gone into much detail, but hoped that Max now had some overview of what a mask meant.

The hyu-man in question now seemed even more surprised. "That can't be true," he said, "that's basically magic!"

"Yes, what is so strange about that", Hornet asked. Though not a part of daily life in Hallownest, magic still played an important role in matters such as casting seals on imortant objects or healing injured bugs when too far from a hot spring.

"So you're saying that magic exists here." Max's face was serious again.

"Of course, do you mean to say that your kin don't have ma-"

She was cut off by a loud creak from outside the cell, followed by heavy footsteps. Both prisoners looked to find a sentrybug, whom Hornet recognized as the one who'd dragged Max there earlier, carrying a tattered looking bag.

* * *

"Would you look at that," he said when he'd reached their cell, "you didn't kill each other after all."

The guard then dug his free hand into the sack and pulled out a large chunk of what Hornet recognized as boofly meat. He tossed it through the bars and said: "The servants were nice enough to cook this through."

Without saying another word, he passed the other guard, who hadn't moved at all until then, but now waved at his leaving colleague.

Hornet now shifted her attention to the food the guard had thrown into their cell. She hadn't realized how hungry she'd been, since the last time she'd eaten was a day prior to the battle at the Black Egg.

Before the smell could even reach her, she bolted from her spot, grabbing the food, and jumped back to the seat. Like the guard had said, the meat was cooked and looked delicious. Hornet was about to make quick work of the chunk, since she'd conditioned herself to always eat what she had caught herself as soon as possible.

"Hey," Max suddenly said from beside her, "Could I please have some of that? I'm kinda hungry."

Hornet shot him a glance, before wordlessly ripping a palm-sized piece from the larger chunk and tossing it at the hyu-man. Though she had rarely come across someone who hadn't been Infected, sharing a small portion of her food always made Hornet feel accomplished as the protector of Hallownest.

She then quickly started eating.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

The speed and manner at which his companion ate her meal really surprised Max. The bug, who'd introduced herself as Hornet, chomped away at the meat like there was no tomorrow. He looked down at the piece he'd been given. It had a dark-green color and its texture seemed to be a bit slimy, yet from the smell he could tell it was cooked. The smell was weirdly strong, but it was good. Not wasting any more time, the masked human started to eat his food aswell. Though it tasted much blander than how it smelled, the meat wasn't necessarily bad either.

After they'd finished their meals, Max and Hornet both stayed quiet for a while. when the human didtried to start a conversation, the bug simply walked to the other side of the cell and sat down, clearly signaling that she didn't want to talk.

For a while, Max sat in silence. He had a lot to think about. First and foremost, in their conversation before the guard had arrived, Hornet had passingly mentioned magic as if it had been nothing out of the ordinary. Magic! He had so many questions. Who wielded it and how? What could it do? Max was certainly going to ask the crimson-wearing bug about those things later.

He also thought about how worried his uncle must be. He worried too, since he doubted that Adrian and Kent, even with their firearms, could put up much of a fight against the armored monstrosities that the Pale King used as soldiers. He also wondered if places other than Elsewhere had also been attacked.

* * *

At some point, a spot on Max's right arm started to itch. He moved his other hand to scratch the spot, but when it made contact, the skin felt weirdly coarse. Looking down at his limb, he was horrified to see a large black blotch on his lower arm. Just as disturbingly, the veins around it seemed to have become very dark aswell.

The young man let out a yelp which prompted Hornet to look at him, alarmed.

"Something's seriously wrong with my arm," Max said, clutching it with his other hand. He turned towards the guard, who was still standing outside the cell, and was about to ask him for help, when he was stopped by Hornet: "Don't. He won't listen to you anyway."

She got up from her spot and walked over to Max. "I may take a look at your arm, though I don't know the way your kin's body works," she said, sitting down beside him.

Nodding, Max leaned his hand out, letting her have a better view of the spot. She leaned towards it, closely observing the darkened area. Hornet looked at the arm from a few angles, even visibly sniffing it at one point. Then, she ran one of her fingers over it, seemingly taken aback by something.

"Is it like some local disease or something," Max asked, starting to sweat again. The last thing he wanted was to get sick in a place like this.

Hornet turned towards him. "This condition of yours strangely reminds me of a hatchling's shell before their first molt," she said, adding: "I take it that it isn't common for hyu-mans?"

"No, it isn't," Max replied," humans don't shed their skin like bugs. We just grow to adulthood."

She looked at the arm for a few more seconds, before her eyes widened (Max still didn't have any idea how) and she looked at him, saying: "It's spreading."

Looking closer, Max could see that what she said was true as one of the darkened veins appeared longer, the black color almost up to his elbow.

Whatever this was, it was undoubtedly not good. What was worse, was that Hornet didn't appear to know of an illness like this, even one that only attacked non-bugs. She said that if she remembered hearing about anything similar, she'd tell him.

For a while, neither of them said a word as they, once again, tried to focus on their own thoughts. Try as he might to think of other things, Max's thoughts still always became worries about his arm and the strange condition it suffered from.

That wasn't helped by the fact, that when he looked at the blackened area again, he saw that it had gotten larger, traveling both up his arm and down towards his hand. Worse, the small itch that initially drew him to notice it had also gotten stronger. Absentmindedly, he started to scratch the center of the roughened skin.

"You really shouldn't do that," Hornet suddenly said, "Its healthier to let it all come off at once."

This angered Max. "How do you know any of this is healthy for me in the first place," he snapped.

"Watch your mouth hyu-man," the bug said, her expression also becoming irate, "I am trying to help you. Now listen." She turned towards Max again, before explaining:  
"Back during the golden age of Hallownest, sentient creatures that weren't bugs were usually looked down upon. Should they prove their worth to the kingdom though, the king would gift them with a mask as a symbol of respect."

She made a short pause, then continued: "There were rumours though, about some being given masks that would change their forms to those of the bugs of Hallownest. I never thought those stories were true, but your soft shell is starting to molt and your scent is starting to become that of a bug."

Hornet stopped speaking. Though her mask remained serious, there was also a bit of regret visible.

Max didn't say anything for atleast five minutes. He simply stared at his cellmate, then once in a while, at his arm.

"So you're saying that I'm turning into a bug," he finally managed to quietly ask.

Hornet nodded. Then she said: "I could never imagine being forced into another form. I am deeply sorry on behalf of the wyrm's delusions."

"Hey," Max said, "You don't have to be sorry for something that your king did."

"He's not my king anymore," Hornet responded with bitterness in her voice.

After she said that, the guard silently standing outside the cell turned his head towards them and said: "You better watch your mouth, spider. King said that you were not to be hurt, but I'm sure that even what you just said can justify punishment."

He went back to his original position. Before becoming silent again though, he added: "And please do remember that I can hear every single thing you say."

With a much quieter voice, Max asked: "You seemed pretty irked about the king, why'd he lock you up here anyway?"

"He said that he's going to make me into a knight of Hallownest," Hornet answered, her voice gradually growing angrier, "and that he's going to show me how his vision of conquest is right and how I will stand by him as he does it." Her eyes were filled with contempt.

"But I know that he only cares about breaking me and making me into a weapon for war," she practically spit out, "me, his own daught-"

Hornet suddenly stopped herself, her eyes full of terror.

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

What had she just done? She had let her anger towards the wyrm get the better of herself. Now she'd told of her relation to the king to someone whose life the former had irreparably changed. She'd just met him too. Who knew how the hyu-man would react.

Hornet hung her head, waiting for either a barrage of rightfully furious words or even a physical attack.

"Are you okay," she heard Max ask. Looking up, she saw the hyu-man looking at her, slight worry visible in his eyes.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I asked something personal," he continued," I had no idea that he was your dad."

To say that Hornet was surprised would have been an understatement. She asked: "You bear no resentment towards me?"

It was Max's turn to look baffled. "No, why would I," he asked.

Hornet, who'd managed to contain her emotions again, stated: "I expected you to be angry due to my relation with the king."

"But it's not your fault, he hurt you too," Max replied.

"You're right," she responded, "It isn't."

She stood up and said: "I need to be alone for some time."

With that, Hornet walked to the other side of the cell again, sitting down with her back turned towards Max. She needed to think about some things. Firstly: Why did she become so emotional like that? Sure she'd had her fragile moments in the past, but always when she was sure that no one was near to see or hear.

Though, she was still slightly surprised, also silently thankful, that Max had forgiven her this easily. In hindsight, it started to make sense to Hornet too. She loathed the Pale King as much as the hyu-man must have at that moment. There wasn't any reason to even consider him her father anymore.

She wondered if all hyu-mans were this peaceful, since Max's words had been some of the kindest she'd ever heard. That could have been because the Weavers didn't directly speak that much, rather sending brief messages with their magic, but it was still very refreshing to Hornet, since most who she'd talked to before were either afraid of her or didn't like her due to her Deepnest nature.

Sure, there'd been some friendlier figures like the Elderbug, Monomon's pupil or, dare she say it, even Ghost, but she hadn't known any of them for very long.

Still, if Max's kin were as peaceful as she thought, then they'd not have been a match for the Pale King's army. She'd have to find a way to flee the dungeons with the transforming human and fight back against the Kingdom she once protected.

With those plans made, Hornet decided that she'd rest a little before starting to figure out how to escape. She laid down on the wooden bed and, from a quick glance to the other side of the room, saw that Max had apparently decided the same thing.

* * *

**Yet another chapter appears, with our hero and heroine finally meeting. Be sure to leave a review as I am motivated by all criticism and stay tuned for more inaccuracies in insect anatomy. **


	6. Chapter 5: Escape

Chapter 5: Escape

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

When he'd managed to finally fall asleep sleep, Max's right arm, which, according to Hornet, was apparently changing into that of a bug, had simply itched a lot. What seemed like a small amount of time later, he was slightly roused by the itch having traveled up to his shoulder. Now, he was fully awoken by a strong, sharp feeling of pain from not only there, but also his chest and stomach.

This sudden and powerful stinging caused him to curl up and groan in pain. Then, he felt something come _up _his throat. Thinking as quickly as he could at that moment, he leaned over the side of the bed and threw up on the stone floor. That wasn't where it ended though as Max felt movement from _inside_ his hand and torso, which were also accompanied by strange noises that he knew a human's body should never make.

The pain in his arm, especially his hand, also became worse, even surpassing what he'd felt when his mask was forced upon him. At one point very early on, Hornet appeared over him. The delirium from the pain made it hard to understand what she was saying, but she was clearly trying to help as she the front of his shirt open, which actually lessened the stinging in his chest. Still, the pain made him writhe and groan in agony for what felt like hours.

Thankfully, the pain soon died down and Max managed to move himself again. He sat up beside Hornet, who'd

"I see you're doing better for now," she said as he looked up at her, "though the magic appears to have begun altering your body in more ways.

Hearing this, Max immediately looked at his right arm. It was now entirely covered by the crusty black skin. Even with it there though, he could see that the limb underneath was different, with the upper and lower arm being separated by a visible joint. Looking at his hand, Max could see that this was also true for his wrist and fingers, the latters of which also seeming to have sharper tips.

Touching the altered arm with his left hand, he noted that it felt much sturdier than before, with the skin being much more like a hard shell. Infact, according to what Hornet had said earlier, it probably was a shell.

He couldn't even bother to look down at his chest, since he knew that it would look as strange as the arm. When Hornet had told him what she thought the black area on his hand was, it had seemed so surreal and unbelievable. With concept of turning into a bug seemed so weird to him that he even kind of refused to believe it and the red clad bug's outburst shortly after distracting him from it, his subconscious had mostly ingored its implications. Now though, reality came crashing down on him.

He was turning into another species and there seemed to be no way of stopping it.

Max slouched forwards and buried his masked face in his hands, softly sobbing. He didn't know how this was going to end. There seemed to be a big chance that he would never see his parents, his uncle or the friends he had at home again. Even his family's home, a generic one story apartment, which he had never really cared for, was something that he missed at that moment.

Max was pulled out of his sad thoughts by something touching his left shoulder. Looking around, he saw that his companion had placed her hand on it. "I truly am sorry for your plight," said Hornet. " And I wish that there were more ways I knew of how to offer you solace," she continued, "but for now, I can only tell you to stay strong."

"This is just too much for me," the changed human said," I don't know what to do or if there is something to do ," he pointed his hand at the cell floor, "I don't even know why I was thrown in here!"

"Fate sometimes works in ways we cannot comprehend," said Hornet, "trust me when I say that in the end, things usually work out." She got up from beside him and walked to the wall furthermost from the cell door, leaning against it with her arms crossed.

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

Though her attempt to comfort the hyu-man had simply been to encourage him to stay strong, Hornet knew that if the guard wasn't around, she'd talk to him about escaping. It seemed much more urgent now, as the mask's changes to Max's body were much faster than she'd expected and, with them being so violently quick, there was a chance that he wouldn't even survive any more changes without a proper enviroment. A small part of her asked why she was so invested in helping the changing human, before being reminded by another that both of them currently had very similar wishes and goals. Those being freedom and, probably, revenge against the Pale King.

From her position at the back of the cell, Hornet took another good look at the corridor outside. There didn't appear to be any obvious ways of escaping the cell, as the metal bars that blocked their way to freedom gleamed brightly in the lanternlight, showing that pale ore had been used in their construction. This ruled out breaking them in any way, since the substance was known for being indestructible. Trying to tunnel through one of the walls was completely out of the question as well, with the dungeon showing as little decay as the palace above. It would have also been extremely visible and she doubted that they'd be able to even make a dent without any tools.

No. She'd have to wait for a good opportunity and use it. The factor she worried the least about was the guard, since even without her needle, Hornet would still be able to effortlessly knock him unconscious. Getting him to open the door was her main focus. Of course, she could wait until they were brought food or water, though that had the risk of wasting time. There was also the idea of faking illness, but considering Max's painful changes getting no attention earlier, the guard would have likely let her groan her throat sore without turning his head.

* * *

As she was thinking of different ways to get out of the cell, the door at the end of the hallway outside opened, with a guard coming through. Hornet could immediately tell that it wasn't the one that'd brought them food before, as they appeared slimmer and slightly taller. The bug, whom she could see was holding a large bowl with both hands, walked up to the cell and said: "This is your water for the next few days," then adding in a surprisingly agressive tone: "Don't spill it or else.."

The sentry, whom Hornet could now tell was female, then turned to the cell's guard.

"Open the door. I want to get this over with."

"Alright alright," said the other guard, "just let me open the door."

He picked up his stunstaff and turned towards the door. Just as he was unlocking it, he looked towards max and his expression became suspicious.

"Get to the back," he said, his voice having also become agressive.

The hyu-man looked confused and said: "Wh- What do you mean?"

This seemed to anger the guard further. "Get against the back wall or I'm zapping you," he barked.

Confusion apparent on his face, Max stood up and backed up against the wall beside Hornet, who was also wondering about what had made the guards so agressive all of a sudden.  
She eyed the guards as they entered the cell, the one wielding the stunstaff getting uncomfortably close them with the weapon, with the electricity from the glowing tip even being audible.

This was the opportunity hornet had been waiting for. Everything seemed to suddenly be a hundred times slower, as she grabbed the wooden handle of the staff with her left hand, yanking it towards her with its owner. She then hit him directly in the face with her other hand.

This caused the guard to stagger into the other one, causing her to spill the water in it on herself. Hornet grasped the staff with both hands. She was a little rusty with this type of weapon, since the last time she'd used one was during her training days. Despite that, she got into a fighting stance, prepared to take on the two guards who'd already recovered.

The first to attack was the sentry Hornet had disarmed, despite his disadvantage. He yelled something akin to a battlecry and charged forward with his shoulder, only for the crimson-wearing warrior to hit him in the face with the wooden end of the staff, knocking him out. She then swung the weapon sideways, just in time to block an attack from the other guard, which she promptly countered with a strike from the electric tip of the staff. The shock from the lumafly was amplified by the water and the sentry was knocked backwards, unconscious.

Hornet was left standing in the middle of the cell. Glancing backwards, she saw that her companion was looking at her in both awe and also a little bit of fear.

"That was incredible," the hyu-man said in a loud tone,"how'd you even do tha-"

Hornet cut him off. "Do be quiet please," she hushed, adding: "otherwise we'll be spotted even sooner."

She crouched over the weaponless guard and picked up his keys. She then started towards the door, saying: "Follow me and don't make a sound."

Stepping into the lantern-lit hallway, Hornet turned towards the direction opposite to the door that the guards had been using. There was no way they'd make it through the upper palace unnoticed. Instead, she was planning to make it to the edge of the dungeon.

While the entire palace and most of the large prison below were completely untouched by time, having suffered no decay wherever they had been, a small portion consisting of a few halves of cells and a section of the outer wall had remained in Hallownest and, because of this, it had been worn down by the wind and water in the cave.

Previously, it had held no value to Hornet. The ruins were just another thing she swung by when she had business in the Ancient Basin. Now though, she realised that they might just be the best way of escaping, after which she'd find a way to get to one of the many secret passages surrounding the larger cavern and use it to get to someplace safe.

* * *

For a while, only running could be heard. The quiet tapping of Hornet's feet being accompanied by the louder, heavier steps of the hyu-man. Luckily for them, there didn't appear to be any guards down there, so they didn't need to waste time on stealth.

Fairly soon, they reached the end of the hallway, a sturdy-looking wall blocking the way further. Unlike the rest of the dungeons' walls, which were simply made from stone bricks treated with spells, this one had visible metal supports and shimmered slightly in the glow of the lanterns, showing that it had much stronger protective spells in place. They'd made it to the dungeon's side.

Before Hornet could start going down a small tunnel running parallel to the fortified wall, likely there for regular checkups on its enchantments, she was stopped by her companion.

"Hey, mind if we stopped for a bit," he said, panting, "I'm feeling a little bit tired. Probably 'cause the thing that happened to my arm."

"You shall get your rest later," Hornet sternly replied, "it is crucial that we keep moving."

Entering the colder tunnel, she could feel a faint gust of wind, which, though not really bothering Hornet that much, seemed to be very uncomfortable for Max, as he started shivering. Their pace was also slowed by the uneven ground, which forced them to walk.

Thankfully, they didn't have to stumble through the cavern for too long, as the ruined section of the wall became visible. Stepping through, Hornet found herself on a small rocky ledge. The palace above was providing enough light for her to get a good look at the surroundings.

The ledge she was on stuck out of the ledge that the White Palace was built on top of. It was surrounded by a dark chasm, which lead down into the Abyss and acted as a part of its natural defense.

She turned around to see Max climbing through the crack in the wall.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

The outside of the prison was even colder than the small tunnel Max and Hornet had been going down. The human wasn't even sure how he still had feeling in his hands, though he was certain that if he made it through alive he'd likely get sick.

"What do we do now," he asked the bug, who was looking upwards.

"We climb," she said.

Max looked up as well. He could see the large building that he'd been lead into before situated not too far above, imposing with its height. He could also see the near vertical cliff that housed it.

"No," he muttered, shaking his head, "we're never gonna be able to climb up that."

"We are," Hornet said, pulling something out from inside her coat. Looking closer, Max saw it was a spool of thread.

"How is that even supposed to help." He asked, irritated.

"This is no ordinary thread," she replied, "its is Weaver silk.

She tied the end of the silk around her finger and then threw the spool upwards, the 'Weaver silk' becoming loose and making a shimmering trail behind it. After a few seconds, the small cylinder hadn't fallen back down, probably meaning that it had gotten stuck on something.

Hornet pulled on the thread still in her hand, as if to test that it was firmly in place. Then she grasped it with her other hand and started climbing up, leaving Max to stare in bafflement.

Hornet stopped and looked down at him. "You needn't worry about the strength of the silk," she affirmed him, "it is the strongest in this kingdom."

Hearing this, Max tried to grab onto the thread and climb up as well, only for his unchanged left hand to slide down, unable to get any grip, even though his right hand was perfectly capable of holding it.

"It's too thin for my hand," he shouted, "I can't get a good grip."

Hornet jumped down from where she was, her eyes showing slight annoyance. "Stay still for a moment," she said, before taking the thread and tying it around his chest. After that, she started climbing up again.

She disappeared over the ledge and soon Max felt himself being pulled up with the rope. As Hornet had said, the silk was unbelievably strong. He did grab onto it with his transformed hand, just in case. While he was being pulled up, an itch started to make itself present in his left shoulder and both of his legs.

* * *

Having reached the ledge, Max pulled himself on top of it. Standing up, he pulled his shirt out of the way to see that, indeed, his shoulder had started turning coarse and discolored like his hand had in the cell.

"This is troubling." Max turned his head to see Hornet looking at him, while rolling her thread around the spool.

"I think it's happening on my legs too," Max said, nervous.

"Then we have no time to waste," she replied, "come, but be careful."

She turned around and started walking along a thin natural pathway, which was situated right at the cliff's edge. Max followed her, careful with his steps, since falling would've probably meant certain death.

The ledge they were walking on seemed to go on for some time, varying very little in its width. Neither of them said a word while walking, with Max trying not to worry about the itch, which had gotten stronger, and Hornet being quiet as well.

Then, finally, the ledge ended. In front of them, though still a good twenty feet above, was the stone bridge to which the main gates of the White Palace were attached to.

Doing as she had done before, Hornet threw her spool upwards, the small object getting caught on something behind the ledge and making the thread attached to it climbable. Again, she tied the bottom end of the string around Max's waist, before climbing up onto the bridge.

After a few seconds she started to pull him up, albeit slightly slower this time. Suddenly, a sharp pain went through his shoulder. Max clutched it, hissing in pain. He could feel his heart beating faster as he began to rapidly breathe in and out. This was the worst time for this to happen.

The pain wouldn't go away either. When he reached the ledge, Hornet had to help him climb onto the bridge. Max pointed at his shoulder, saying: "We gotta move. Get to safety." Hornet simply nodded, helping him get up. They both ran slightly hunched to minimize the possibility of someone spotting them.

The bridge led to a large archway. Behind it was a much smaller cave, which had a clearly artificial hole leading down into another one. Hornet jumped down, followed by Max, still clutching his shoulder, which had begun hurting even more.

They reached a slightly more open area with metal fences surrounding a lamp post.

Then, Max stumbled and fell forward. Before he could get back on his feet, his legs began to feel as though they were burning. This, coupled with the pain in his shoulder, made his vision go black. It was too much.

Max fell limp onto the cold rocky ground. The last thing he could hear was his companion's voice, shouting at him to stay awake.

* * *

**I really need to think of better ways to end chapters.**


	7. Chapter 6: The Hive

Chapter 6: The Hive

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

Hornet felt angry. Not at Max, since that would have been unfair. But the magic that was changing him into a bug. She'd hoped that they would at least make it to the tramway, yet, as evident by the loud cracks they were emitting, the transformation had reached his legs.

She had already been unsure as to how they were going to reach the upper level of the Basin, since the staircases that once connected them had crumbled long ago, forcing any would-be traveler to climb or fly if they could.

Now, even if she could still hoist him up with her silk, it would still have taken a lot longer than she could afford. Though the silk did give Hornet an idea.

She unrolled it as fast as she could, making sure not to tangle it. Then, she tied the silk around Max's torso and shoulders. After that, she pulled the hyu-man onto her back, fastening him with the thread.

It wasn't very safe, nor was it comfortable. But years of experience had taught Hornet to overcome the risks and not complain about the unpleasantries that life threw at her. She latched onto one of the walls of the Basin and began climbing, Max unconsciously dangling on her back.

The Ancient Basin was a place few went to, with good reason. Unlike the lush roads of Greenpath or the busy streets of the City of Tears, the caves which surrounded the White Palace were completely lifeless. Yet still, the passageways were filled with clearly bug-made architecture.

Few knew of the truth, the discussion of which had been a taboo during the golden years of Hallownest. That being the existence of the ancient civilization of bugs who existed before the coming of the Pale King. The bugs, whoever they were, had been silently erased from history by order of the king, with only their halls and old spaces of living remaining. Even then, those too had been changed and remodeled, with the king's image carved into many walls.

Though Hornet knew of these precursors to Hallownest, she didn't really find it in herself to care. They were once there, but now they were not. It was as simple as that to her.

Of course with Hallownest, one could argue the same thing. The difference was though, that Hornet felt a sence of personal responsibility for the latter, being the king's daughter. This was of course back when she still had some respect for the monarch.

Without her needle or silk and with her companion's uncoscious, yet still changing, form strung on her back, the journey upward, though not too long, still took more time than she would've liked.

* * *

Having reached the underside of the hatch that lead down from the tram stop, Hornet suddenly froze. There were voices coming from above. Carefully peeking out of the opening, she spotted two sentries standing at the far end of the platform, chatting.

The two had their backs turned on Hornet. If she moved quickly, she'd probably have been able to dispose of them both. Just as she was about to spring up from the hatch, a loud snap came from one of Max's legs, followed by a pained groan. Hornet quickly ducked back down. She couldn't afford to be spotted, since that would've meant direct combat and she'd left the stunstaff on the cliff.

She looked towards Max. Though he still appeared unconscious, a low groan could be heard escaping him. Hornet felt a strong sense of sympathy towards him, weirdly so infact. She'd seen many suffer during her life, yet there was something about him that made her feel _more_.

Hornet shook her head. She was getting distracted.

Suddenly, a loud metallic rumble could be heard from the platform. Despite the not having heard it for quite a while, Hornet could recognize the noise immediately. It was a tram. She looked out of the hatch again to see the large vehicle move through the two doors that had opened for it.

The tram then slowed down and came to a stop by the platform's side. Its door the burst open as another sentry, whose helmet showed that he was a higher rank, stormed out and shouted at the two guards to get in. From what Hornet could hear, a bridge had collapsed and extra bugpower was needed to help.

The sentries rushed into the tram, hastily closing the door behind them. Hornet climbed onto the platform and, keeping herself low to the ground, dropped down from it. Just as the metal contraption started moving again, she leaped onto its underside and latched onto a metal pipe with both hands.

Hanging under the moving vehicle was made a lot harder by the extra weight that she was carrying on her back.

After a short period of time, the tram reached the stop that lead out of the capital's walls. The moment it stopped, Hornet let go, making sure to land on her feet. She then took cover behind a rock, making sure that it provided enough cover for both of them.

The sentries that had rode inside the tram all ran up the path to the canyon, leaving the platform unattended. Hornet climbed on and started walking in the same direction that the guards ran towards. She was very close to the great Hive, the nest of Hivelings and their queen Vespa, who, despite being dead, still offered words of advice to those brave enough to seek her spirit at the centre of the great structure.

Hornet's relationship with the Hivelings was a good one. In addition to her training by the Weavers, she'd also been taught many skills by Vespa and her loyal Hive Kights. The queen herself had been a good friend to her, even comforting her after Herrah had fallen into slumber.

Despite this, Hornet hadn't visited the Hive since the queen's death. This was partly because the Infection had begun influencing the Hivelings and made them agressive towards anyone that entered the Hive. She knew that Vespa loved her children and had silently forbid herself from entering it again.

Now she had to break that vow. One thing that that the Hive was famous for, was Hiveblood. The golden liquid was not only a good food source, but also a remedy capable of curing less serious illnesses and healing wounds. Since the closest hot spring that she knew of was in Deepnest, Hiveblood seemed like the best choice to help Max.

* * *

While she was walking towards the western side of the Hive, Hornet heard a groan come from behind her, followed by the voice of her companion: "Where am- What's going on?"

He jerked sideways, almost knocking Hornet off her feet. "Will you please stop that," she said in an annoyed tone.

"How're you carrying me," the hyu-man asked, moving his upper body around.

"Silk, now please stop moving so much," said Hornet.

In response, Max stopped struggling, making it easier for the bug to walk forwards again.

"Where are we going, anyway," asked Max.

"A place that will hopefully make your changes less painful," answered Hornet.

The hyu-man muttered a quiet 'oh' and neither of them said anything else. After a few more minutes of walking, they entered a slightly larger cave where multiple small black-and-yellow striped bugs were flying around. At the far end of the cave there was another passage, which was lit up by a warm, yellow glow. They had made it to the entrance of the Hive.

Before Hornet could enter the passage, a few of the bugs took notice of her and started to fly closer.  
She got into a battle stance and was ready to defend herself and Max, when, instead of attacking, the Hivelings started to cheer in their simplistic way.

"Hornet, yay. Friend of Hive back," they all chorused in unison, circling around her.

Then, they noticed Max strung onto Hornet.

"Who this?"

"Strange smell, weird shell."

"Stranger!"

"Danger?"

The Hivelings started buzzing untrustingly. Hornet decided to step in before things escalated.

"Do not fear," she said," Max is not a threat to you or your home."

At this, one of the Hivelings asked: "So stranger is friend?"

"Yes," Hornet answered, "and he needs your help. Please take us to queen Vespa."

"New friend need mother's help," one of the striped bugs said.

"We take you to mother," another finished.

The two Hivelings that had spoken started to fly into the tunnel where the golden light was coming from, with Hornet following closely behind. The ground inside the passage turned from stone into the strong wax that most of the Hive was constructed of.

Before she could enter the larger entrance hall, Max asked: "Can you please let me down now?"

Stopping for a moment, Hornet responded: "Depends. Are you able to walk?"

"I think so," the hyu-man answered, "I could move my hand after it changed."

"Hold still then," said Hornet, untying the silk that went around her midsection, causing it to come loose and untangle around Max. Not stuck to her anymore, he attempted to step forward, only to stumble forward and collapse against the tunnel's wall.

The two Hivelings looked towards him, as did Hornet who asked: "Are you sure that you're able to walk?"

"Yeah," Max answered, though his voice seemed uncertain, "just a bit unfamiliar." He took a few shaky steps using the wall as support. Then his face became confused and he looked down.

"Whoa. What happened to my legs?"

Hornet looked aswell and saw that the limbs, or at least the parts not covered by Max's leg'garments, had become much sleeker and upright, much more resembling ones that two-legged bugs like she had. The items he'd had on his feet before were missing, having probably fallen off while they were hanging under the tram.

"This feels weird," Max said, still holding his hand against the wall.

"You will need to get used to it," Hornet spoke back, "now let's go. We probably haven't got much time." She told the Hivelings that everything was fine and continued walking after them, with the hyu-man limping behind.

"How's a bunch of _bees_ supposed to help us anyway," Max asked at one point, using a word that Hornet hadn't heard before.

"If you are talking about the Hivelings," she answered, "then know that Hiveblood is one of the best cures for illness

Soon, the tunnel transitioned into being more of a coridor, with the walls and floor becoming smoother and showing the Hiveblood-comb patter that was common in the Hive. Doorways also started to appear on the sides, showing rooms where small Hivelings were doing various things like cleaning, organizing shelves or tending to the larger Hive soldiers.

The corridor they were going down then lead to another doorway, which opened up to a ledge overlooking one of the Hive's massive interior halls. Hornet could hear a gasp coming from Max.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

And he'd thought that the White Palace was spectacular. The view that opened up to Max was truly breathtaking. An enormous space with large pillars holding up the ceiling, with everything colored various hues of warm yellow. The bees that Hornet had called Hivelings were flying around everywhere, going in and out of various other tunnels. There were also larger bees, who seemed to just hover above the others.

Suddenly, he realized something. "How do we get down from here?"

Hornet looked at him, her face showing slight confusion. "We jump, of course," she said.

"All the way down there," Max asked, pointing at the bottom of the hall, which was atleast thirty feet below.

"Yes," the horned bug said, completely expressionless, before leaping off the platform, their two small guides flying down aswell. She landed on her feet, completely unharmed, then looked up towards Max.

Taking a deep breath, he looked down and found that for some reason, the distance didn't seem that dangerous anymore. It still looked to be the same height, just the 'you will die if you fall' instinct wasn't there. Wondering why he'd been so nervous a few moments ago, Max jumped. He flew through the air and landed beside Hornet, his newly changed legs shaking a bit.

They continued walking through the giant hall, with Max's head moving as if it was on a swivel, taking in the architecture and the feeling of grandness that radiated from the Hive. They soon crossed into another corridor, this one much shorter than the last, having no doorways on the sides. Then they reached another hall.

* * *

Throughout their journey, multiple Hivelings stopped whatever they were doing before and flew by, curious at the guests. While they were walking through another of the larger halls, one of the large bees approached aswell, looking at the suspiciously. Any negative thoughts they might have had were quickly cleared up when one of the group's two guidebugs flew up to them and waved its tentacles in some sort of pattern. This seemed calm the large bee down as they continued patrolling the area.

Their path soon took them upwards, with both Max and Hornet having to climb up some fairly high ledges. It wasn't a problem for the latter, though she did have to help the human a few times, since his body was still slightly sore from the last changes to it. The lack of footpaths made sense to him though: why would an airborne species need to walk?

Max was so occupied with looking around the various rooms they went through that he didn't even notice when his chest started to itch again. He told Hornet about it and she adressed their two little guides, telling them that they needed to move at a quicker pace.

That wasn't required, since the corridor they'd entered apparently lead straight to the throne room. Unlike the others they'd walked through, this one seemed more rough, as if it was recently built. There also weren't any other rooms, only lamps lighting up the way.

Soon, the tunnel ended, leading to a walkway overlooking another big hall. This one wasn't empty though, instead, suspended in the air was an enormous bee. She, since Max realised this must have been the queen, had a much thinner look, though she was still many times larger than any bug he'd seen yet. Her arms were crossed and her head was hung, making it appear as though the queen was sleeping.

"Welcome," an unfamiliar voice suddenly said, prompting Max to look around for the source. He spotted a lone figure standing in the middle of the walkway. Looking closer, he saw that it was a bee that appeared very similar to the giant queen that stood in the hall. What struck him as odd, was that they seemed to be floating in midair. Infact, he was almost certain that he could see through them.

"Queen mother," the two Hivelings cheered as they flew towards to the figure.

"Greetings, Hive queen Vespa," said Hornet, kneeling and signaling for Max to do the same, which he did.

"Hornet," the ghostly figure responded in a warm, kind-sounding, yet echoey voice, "I've told you that such formalities aren't needed. Please rise, both of you."

After both of them had stood up she said: "I understand there is much for us to discuss and catch up on, but that can be done at a later time." She then turned towards Max. "First, I believe we should get properly acquainted. I am Vespa, queen of the Hive."

It took a few seconds for Max to find his voice. "I am Maxwell Reed, the -uh-_ human_," he eventually said. This caused the queen to gasp.

"I never thought that I'd see one of your kind myself," she muttered to herself, before her tone became friendly again: "It is a pleasure to meet you, Maxwell Reed."

"You can call me Max, your majesty," the human said."

This caused the queen to laugh. "Very well, Max," she spoke, "I would now like to know how one such as yourself has found their way to Hallownest."

And so, Max told queen Vespa about his capture by the Kingsmoulds, how he and some other humans were escorted into Hallownest and to the White Palace, how they were given masks and how something went wrong, angering the Pale King enought to have Max be taken to the dungeons. He finished by telling her of the transformation that he was going through.

While he was telling his story, the queen floated beside him, her face growing more shocked each second. When Max finished his story, she said: "To be the victim of such evil must not be easy for you. These vicious changes to your form are the work of a very ancient form of magic."

"Is there any way we can stop it," Max asked, hopeful. There might have still been a chance for him to remain human.

"I'm sorry, Max," the ghostly bug answered, "though I know much about magic, neither I or even my best healers have the ability to undo it. The only thing that we are capable of now is making its progress easier for you to bear."

Max hung his head. Any hopes that he still had were destroyed. He still had one more question, though.

"But what caused the Pale King's anger towards me," he asked, causing the queen to 'hmm' questioningly.

"When I put on the mask, the king said that I was supposed to fall asleep," Max continued, "then, when he tried to look _into _me, something stopped him, causing him to become angry. He also called me a renegade for some reason."

"Well," said queen Vespa, "He could most probably sense what you are becoming."

Now it was Max's turn to look confused. "And what am I, err, turning into," he asked.

"Though it is still weak, scent doesn't lie," the queen responded, "your form, Max, is becoming that of a hornet."

This caused Hornet, who'd silently stood at the side, to speak up: "What does that mean? Is he becoming something like me?"

"In a way, yes," the queen said, "the hornets were a species of warriors very closely related to us Hivelings. I named you after them, since you exercise the same kind of ferocity and precision as they did when their tribe still inhabited the caverns outside of Hallownest. Also, as a way to remember them."

"Not once have I heard of this tribe, Hornet said, "what happened to them?"

This caused the queen to sigh deeply, before she answered: "They were hunted and driven out by the Pale King's forces. This was because unlike the Mosskin and Mantis tribes in the west, they weren't content with losing their land and didn't submit to Hallownest's expansion."

"So they were just forced out," Max asked, feeling strangely angry about the subject.

"Yes," the queen said, "sometimes, standing up to a Higher Being isn't the wisest thing to do. It is sad yes, bu-"

Suddenly, Max couldn't hear what she was saying anymore. Instead, he felt burning. Worse than any of the times before.

The ground came closer.

Then, everything went black again.

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

"Take him to the healing chambers, quickly," said Vespa to the two Hivelings who had been waiting at the side. They followed the command, flying over to Max, who had just collapsed onto the floor, and, with strength one wouldn't expect from someone their size, started to carry him away.

"Is he going to be alright," Hornet asked, feeling slight worry for the hyu-man.

"There is nothing to fear," the queen responded, "my healers are already informed and have begun preparations. He will finish his changes in the safety of a Hiveblood cocoon. All we can do now is wait."

She then turned herself to face the giant corpse that stood in the hall below, motioning for Hornet to do the same. For a few minutes, the two just looked at the lifeless shell that once belonged to one of them, not saying anything. It was Vespa who broke the silence.

"Do you remember when I first appeared to you?"

Hornet remembered. It was a few months after Vespa had died. She had already set up her home in Greenpath by then. It wasn't one of her fondest memories though.

"Yes," she murmured.

"Oh," the queen said, giggling, "that scream must have been heard at Hallownest's Crown."

Hornet frowned. She had been much younger at the time and was still shaken up from the Vespa's receny death. Also, on that night in particular, she remembered a ghost story that she'd heard as a hatchling. It didn't help that the queen decided to manifest just as she was going to sleep.

For a few seconds, she just stood while her friend laughed. Eventually, she out a few giggles herself. Though a show of weakness, in hindsight, it really was quite funny, if not a little morbid.

"But onto more important matters," said Vespa, "these are still very troubling times. This _conquest _perpetrated by your fa-"

"Don't call him that," Hornet snapped, before continuing in a slightly calmer tone: "I do not want anything to do with that monster."

The queen sighed, nodding. "I understand your anger," she said, "but denying fact is not wise."

"Please," Hornet asked, "can we not talk about him now?"

"Very well," said Vespa.

Changing the subject, Hornet then asked: "You said before that you didn't believe that you would ever see a hyu-man like Max. How did you know about them?"

"My scouts used to often journey beyond the Howling Cliffs," Vespa answered, "In their travels, they encountered those of his kind quite a few times."

Hornet was confused. "Why send them to the wastelands? Were you afraid of some outside threat to Hallownest?"

"Truth be told," the queen said, "I sent them to find more of our kind, other Hivelings and their Hives. Sadly, they did not."

She sighed, before continuing: "I am without a heir, Hornet. Even though my soul remains as a ghost, through which I am able to continue leading my people, one day, even it shall fade. Without someone to pick up my mantle, the Hive will not be able to live on. They Need a queen."

The queen looked towards Hornet, whose eyes were widened in shock. "I shouldn't have burdened you with that," she said, "I'm sorry."

"It is fine," Hornet responded in a stoic tone, "us that have remained know little but burden anymore." She looked at Vespa again, her eyes now showing regret. "Though," she said, a very slight shake in her voice, "I'm sorry for my inexperience to comfort you."

"Oh, Hornet," Vespa's voice took on a motherly tone, "you need to accept that you aren't at fault for things born from circumstance."

At that, Hornet could simply nod.

The queen sighed, saying: "I do not believe this conversation is getting anywhere. You should get some rest."

"Why," Hornet asked, "I only slept a few hours ago at the cell and I'm perfectly capable of staying awake for far longer."

"Some of my Hivelings, who got into trouble with sentries in the past, have told me of those dungeons," said Vespa, "From what I have gathered, they are barely capable of sustaining any life."

"I am fine," insisted Hornet, "I have survived much worse conditions."

"Hornet," reprimanded the queen, whose voice had become even more motherly, "Despite your years of experience, your body is still that of a seventeen year old bug. That's only a few years older than a hatchling. Now, I am going to have your old chamber prepared for you and you are going there to have a good rest."

Hornet hadn't expected her friend to fall back to old habits this much. Seeing no point in arguing with her, she muttered a submissive "yes Vespa" and started heading back out the doorway from which her small group had entered the hall before.

* * *

Though at first she felt mad for being patronized like that. While walking through the newly-built corridor, she couldn't help but smirk a little. A part of her still enjoyed being treated like she was young. It was true in a sense. Though her experiences throughout the years had toughened her up, both her body and, yes, despite her reluctance to admit it, even her mind were still those of a young bug about to reach adulthood.

Still, Hornet wished that she was more able in socializing with other bugs. She didn't harbor any grudges towards the strict and sometimes cruel society of Deepnest, which prioritized the survival of the fittest over personal connections. Not at all. She knew that without her childhood home's harsh upbringing, there would be a fairly big chance that she'd be dead by now. Yet, she found herself enjoying the kindness of Vespa and the other Hivelings.

She walked through the golden halls towards the lower chambers, where her old room was. Despite not having been to the Hive in what had to be decades, she still remembered its location perfectly. Multiple Hivelings greeted her as she was walking by. All of them were a bit delirious from being under the Infection for so long, yet they still remembered Hornet. Even a few Hive Soldiers and a Guardian stopped their patrols to say hello.

Soon, she came to the corridor where her chamber was situated. Stepping through the doorway, she looked at the small room. It truly seemed like no time had passed. The small bed, lamp and chest were all in the same spot. She thought it funny and a bit ironic that, provided that she'd stay here for a longer time, all of her things would have to be fetched from Dirtmouth. Something that came with being half spider was the need to have her belongings in a safe place.

Hornet laid down on the well-cushioned bed. Truth be told, it did feel much better than the platforms in the cell. She thought about how things were currently going on. Her fa-, no, the Pale King's invasion on the humans was a big problem. One that she was certain she'd help resolve in some way. Of course, navigating through Hallownest was going to be harder now with all the sentries going around. Likely with orders to capture her.

Right now though, she would lay in her bed. Perhaps Vespa was right and a good rest was what she needed.

* * *

**?**

* * *

"What is this situation of yours then?"

"Right there Sir, on the large screen. All satellite pictures of that area have been completely white. And the area is growing."

"And how long has this been ocurring?"

"Nearly three days now. A recon team dispatched to the area sent pictures of a sort of white, translucent barrier matching up with the size of the satellite interference."

"What do the energy readings say?"

"It's definetly of extrahuman origins, though most of the equipment turned off when they tried to read it."

"Most?"

"The device supplied by your research team managed to stay operational. Sir, what are your orders? What do we do?!"

"You're the new guy, right?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Listen, you don't have to do anything. Your job is to locate and monitor these types of things while field professionals go in and deal with them. Now, take this and get yourself cooled off with a cold one."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir"

"I'll be going to oversee the operation. Make sure that, while I'm there, no one except G-station contacts me!"

* * *

**Endgame was amazing. R&R**


	8. Of Lost Memories and Things to Come

Interlude: Of Lost Memories and Things to come

* * *

**THE KIDS**

* * *

The twins did everything together. Right now, they were exploring the surroundings of their new home. They had promised not to go too far from the village though, since mother had warned that there were dangerous beasts that would come from the large cliffs. Still, they would leave no rock unturned where they were brave enough to go to.

Both younglings felt weird. Neither of them had any memories of the time before their family came to Hallownest, their new home. They had to have traveled from far though, right? Nobody who they'd met here had strange names like 'Mike' or 'Mason'. When they had asked father about it, he had said that it didn't matter and that they all needed to focus on helping the kingdom, which, according to the great king's messengers, hadn't been doing so well for some time.

It was Mike's and Mason's job too. They were pill bugs like their parents. Pill bugs were meant to be workers, doing things like mining and building. When something fell or a cave collapsed, they could curl up and be protected by their shell.

Yesterday evening, they had even met another pill bug, named Myla, who could sing very well. She worked in the mines, collecting crystals, which the kingdom's engineers used in their fancy machines. All three of them became friends, singing the miner's songs together. Sadly though, they were still too young to do any serious work, making it harder for the trio to meet in the future.

The younglings were still needed in doing housework, since their parents had to be down in the kingdom all day, doing their part in repairing the kingdom's broken roads and buildings. As it was their first full day here, they had decided to visit the other townsfolk after finishing their chores.

Before he had left with mother, father had told them not to annoy their new neighbours. But they weren't going to annoy them, they were going to ask super important questions about what they did every day.

They'd already met the grouchy Elderbug, who was probably the oldest bug they had ever met. He seemed to like standing in the village center, quietly grumbling to himself. When the elder first saw the twins, he, like mother, warned them about going too far from Dirtmouth.

There was also Sly, who said that he was a shopkeeper. When they asked him what he sold, he replied that everything he'd had for sale had just recently been bought, leaving him with a 'mountain of geo' as he proudly called it.

Across the town square, they had found another shop. Upon entering, they had been greeted by the pair of mosquitoes who ran it. Cornifer, the male bug, had called himself a car-to-gra-something and said that he and his wife sold maps. He'd then asked the two younglings if they wanted to hear a story from when he was mapping Hallownest, to which, of course, Mike and Mason agreed.

Before he was able begin though, Cornifer's wife Iselda had sprung into action, pushing the twins out of the door. She had said that they were too young to hear her husband's stories, but also that it was nice meeting them.

After that, they'd been a bit discouraged from visiting anyone else so they had decided to wander around the outskirts of the village, which they were still doing.

While they were sitting on a large rock, both of the young bugs found their thought wandering to the Pale King, who was an awe inspiring figure. According to father, their family's prior life, which they did not remember, had been extremely poor so the good king had brought them to the kingdom to have a better chance at it. He'd even gifted them the house they lived in.

The twins knew that when they got older, they too would be able to thank the king with hard work like their parents were doing right now.

* * *

**BRIGHT**

* * *

Bright looked at the half-written text on the sheet of paper in front of him. The beetle was currently writing an overview of the progress in the lower levels of the archive. This report was fairly important, since it was first going to be sent to the Chief Scholar and, if deemed satisfactory, to the Pale King himself.

Aside from his name, Bright didn't remember much of anything from before he came to Hallownest. He knew that he was summoned here by the Pale King who had sensed his potential as a bug of science and wanted to give him a better chance at using it. Even though he remembered having some sort of education before his arrival, according to the king it was too lacking and apparently not up to the kingdom's standards so he was assigned apprenticeship under Quirrell, the newly promoted Chief Scholar.

After they had both arrived at the giant archive, Quirrell had used a map to give Bright an overview of the building's layout, pointing out the different sections and what they held. Their primary goal right now was to make an overview of any damage that had been done to the texts and vaults and if they could be fixed or rewritten. From what the new apprentice had been told and from what he had managed to gather himself, there had been a long period of anarchy and crisis that had ended just recently before his arrival. During this period, the previous Chief Scholar, Monomon, had lost her life and the archive had stood vacant for many years, with the only presence being that of the mindless floating constructs used for defence against intruders.

Sadly, the larger constructs had developed a tendency to explode in response to any contact, which was why they had to deem some sections of the libraries unsalvageable. Thankfully, the lower levels, where past experiments and the more advanced Automated Information Screens were kept, didn't have any of the explosive creatures, instead using the archive's surroundings as a defensive mechanism. Multiple hallways and less important rooms had been flooded with acidic water from the surrounding caves, making navigation much harder. The scholar and his apprentice would have to locate the pipe system and find a way to drain the hazardous liquid.

Atleast, that's what they had planned for tomorrow. Quirrell had asked him to take a look at the old schematics that were used for the archive's construction. Specifically, the ones that detailed the pipe system. He finished his report, writing that he'd discovered something about a 'master valve'. Then, he signed it, rolled it up and, with a slightly raised voice, told the messenger waiting outside the office door to come in. Bright handed him the report and told him to deliver it to Quirrell. He nodded silently and exited the office.

Bright looked out the window behind him to see the messenger exiting through the large front doorway. He was now completely alone in the archive, excluding the few oomas that they hadn't taken care of yet. The chief scholar hadn't wished to live in the large building, instead choosing to reside in the small village above ground. Before leaving, Quirrell had encouraged Bright to see if he could find any texts that interested him and if so, read them.

After doing just that, he had found himself a large encyclopedia of various medical practices used throughout Hallownest's history. Having begun to read it, he became even more invested in the topic. Something about it just resonated with him, almost like he'd dealt with something like this before. Bright shook his head. That couldn't have been the case.

Still, he found the idea of working as a healer rather appealing. Being able to help Hallownest's progress by providing medical aid to sick or injured bugs seemed a good idea. Perhaps he'd be able to further research into various forms of treatment as well.

Bright glanced at the small clock on his desk. It was about half past seven, which meant that the Sun would soon set on the surface. Of course, this didn't matter in the caves, since the many natural and bug-made light sources meant that they stayed the same for the entire day. Thankfully, the windows of his office had curtains. Since there wasn't much else for him to do, Bright decided to go to bed early that day, after, of course, reading a bit more of the encyclopedia.

Before going back to reading, he looked at his office, which also doubled as his living space. It was fairly small, with the bed folding into the wall so it wouldn't get in the way when not in use. On the other side of the room was a cabinet with an empty bookshelf on top of it. His desk was facing towards the door, with the window right behind it.

Bright sighed. This wasn't much, but that was okay. He didn't need much anyway. His job was to serve Hallownest and its king.

* * *

**ROJAS**

* * *

The messenger hastily made his way down the canyon and towards Queen's Station, his satchel swinging on the side. Even though the surroundings were still new to him, he was sure that in a few months, he'd know every shortcut under the Howling Cliffs. Right now though, his job was to reach the village of Dirtmouth.

Rojas didn't know where he came from or how he ended up in Hallownest. Wherever he was from, it had to be really far, since no one else he'd seen here seemed to have such a uniquely colorful shell. Appearance aside, the slim beetle had shown the ability of being a very good runner, which is why he was given his current job of being a messenger for important bugs to boss around.

For some reason though, despite Rojas' apparent skill at it, the job of a messenger and courier just didn't resonate well with him. It felt as though his mind associated it with something bad that he couldn't remember. He had actually wished to join the sentry guard, but had been rejected, since they were still reorganizing their own ranks and also seemed distrustful of him due to his uncommon shell color.

Rojas shook his head, deciding to focus on the road, if it could even be called that. He didn't know why most of the kingdom was in this much disrepair, but he didn't really care either. Maybe he'd ask someone when he wasn't working.

He jumped down from another ledge, landing right in front of the entrance to the large stag station. Running inside, he made his way past the guards who had been sent here to take care of some savage tribe that resided in the wastes between the station and the capital. He even saw some of those large white figures who answered only to the Pale King. He used the stairs to get to the bottom floor and turned into one of the stag platforms.

Since there was apparently only one living stag left, there wasn't much danger in him using the stagways on foot. Reaching Dirtmouth would be easier too, since all he had to do was always head in the tunnels that took him up. All that was left to do then was to run, which, obviously, wasn't a problem.

Most of the journey upwards was enjoyably boring, though he did start feeling a bit fatigued just before reaching his destination's platform. He was probably gonna head back to the capital and get some sleep after this.

Rojas climbed onto the platform at Dirtmouth's station and used the small elevator to get to the surface level. He then exited the building, finding himself in the town's center. The sun had already set and the streets were mostly empty, except for a single bug standing nearby.

Having been told by the sullen bug where the recipient of the letter lived, he simply walked to the humble looking house and knocked on the door. Very shortly after, it was opened and a bug with tired looking eyes poked their head out.

"Excuse me, do you happen to be Chief Scholar Quirrell," Rojas asked, keeping it formal despite feeling fairly tired.

"Yes, is there anything I can help you with," the bug responded, his tone helpful despite the late hour.

"There is a letter for you, sir," the mailbug said, pulling the rolled up paper out of his satchel and handing it forward.

"Perfect, I knew he could be trusted to work fast," the scholar said happily, taking the roll.

He then turned towards the messenger. "Now, about your payment."

"That won't be necessary," Rojas quickly said, though a bit reluctanly, "by order of the crown, any messenger services to scientists are to be free."

"Nonsense," spoke Quirrell, producing a small sack from his belt, "here, you deserve it."

He pulled ten from the sack and handed them to Rojas, who was very surprised.

"Thank you, sir," he said, putting the small valuables into his satchel.

"Oh, it's nothing," the scholar responded, "now run along and get some rest."

* * *

Rojas walked back down the stagway. While finding Dirtmouth had been easy, getting to King's Station, or any other underground station, was considerably trickier. One had to remember various landmarks, which were usually just distinct rock formations, to find their way to their destination. The stags had been bred for this job and Rojas even heard a guard say that one would have probably been able to run from King's to Queen's blindfolded.

Eventually, he made it to the station that was connected to the upper city. Walking through the cave outside the stop, Rojas saw lots of barrels stacked on top of each other and wondered if anything in them was still salvageable. Maybe they held some fancy food meant for nobles.

He hopped down another hatch and found himself in a larger cave overlooking the wastes outside the city's walls. There were platforms hanging on the ceiling, acting as a way to get down. Having reached the bottom of the weird alternative to stairs, he entered the tower that lead onto the street below. Finally, after an elevator ride, Rojas stepped into the rainy avenue.

Thankfully, the small apartment he'd been gifted wasn't very far so he didn't get completely soaked. The streets were mainly occupied by sentries, patrolling with their nails. From what Rojas understood, they were stretched very thin, with only about a hundred bugs having to guard the border, keep order within the city and expand the kingdom's territory.

Surprisingly, just before entering the building where his apartment was in, Rojas saw two bugs that weren't sentries walking across the street. One was a young-looking, tall bug dressed in the fine crimson cloak of a noble and the other, who was also holding an umbrella over both of their heads, was a slightly shorter, stocky beetle wearing a black apron that Rojas thought looked like one a maid would have. It seemed they were headed towards the part of the city, which held the living spaces of the upper caste.

The messenger shrugged to himself. Wherever they were headed, it was probably none of his business. He entered the apartment and walked up to the third floor. After that, he entered his one-room apartment. There really wasn't much to describe there: a single small window towards the street, two counters to hold any food in and a short wooden bed with a few cloth sheets to make sleeping slightly more bearable. There was also a metal faucet coming out of the wall above one of the counters, bringing fresh water from the city's endless reserve. In case it leaked, Rojas had placed a bowl under it.

It really wasn't much, yet it was still his and miles better than living on the street. The mailbug went straight for his bed, laying down on it. He'd been told that the bells of one of the towers would be rung in the morning and that, upon waking up, he was to report to the sentries' main office for his daily assignments.

Rojas stared at the ceiling. The job he did was demanding, but he hoped that it would pay off some day.

* * *

**EMILITIA**

* * *

The noble and her newly appointed personal servant were headed towards the former's home. As the last surviving member of the kingdom's upper caste, Emilitia would play an important in its future and that made her excited. Firstly, it was a way to serve her king better than her family ever could before and secondly, it would be the greatest joke on behalf of the other young nobles who cast her out from their all those years ago. She'd lost track of the time that had passed, but the disgrace to her house's name would never be forgotten.

Sitting there alone though, immortal as she appeared to be for some reason, Emilitia still grew to miss some of her infected peers. Of course, to show her superiority and betterness, she'd put on a fake smile and laugh if anyone entered her residence, boasting about the situation. She was a noble and would act accordingly, yet there had been a growing sense of fear that she would have to stay like that forever.

Now, just as the Infection mysteriously disappeared, the Pale King had returned to his kingdom and that must've meant that more positive changes were on their way. Yesterday, in the early morning, she'd been invited to the White Palace for a meeting with the great king himself. Having borrowed the sentries' stag, she rode down to the chilly caves below the city. The palace servants had led her to a room with a long dining table where she had been seated and told to wait.

Aside from her, there had been two others seated at the table: a very high-ranking sentrybug, judging from the golden etchings on his helmet and a bug she remembered being the kingdom's Chief Scholar's apprentice before the Infection. Also, one of those tall scary-looking metal bugs was standing motionlessly by the wall.

Truth be told, though she knew not to show it, Emilitia had been quite nervous. Before her eviction by the other young nobles and Hallownest's collapse, she hadn't really done anything by herself yet. She didn't own any land besides her home in the high-end district, still living off the geo given to her by mother. The only things she knew about politics were learned from her parents and the private teacher they'd employed to homeschool her.

Soon, the door had been opened and the Pale King had stepped into the room. He had sat down in the ornate chair at the end of the table and had begun talking in his etheral voice. The king had spoken about the difficulty of the situation and the limited amount of bugpower, but also of a plan he had to make Hallownest more powerful than it had ever been before.

He had told of his influence beginning to expand to the world beyond the Howling Cliff and brought attention to the 'civilization' that inhabited it, saying that they did not fare well. Though intelligent like bugs, these creatures had long lived without a great leader or god to look up to, since any that they might have once had were long gone. This long absence of a higher being to serve had misguided their entire society. The nobility, for example, had been almost completely assimilated by the commonfolk, who also ruled the countries.

Listening to the monarch's speech, Emilitia had been surprised. How could such an orderless world exist? These poor creatures had lived in chaos for so long, having fooled themselves onto thinking that a commoner had the power and right to do what nobles did. From her days as a youngling, her father had always thaught her how the world worked. Those born as commoners were always meant for manual labour and less important jobs, while those of high status and, of course, the king ruled over them. This was the way a civilization worked. Any other style of governing would have undoubtedly only lead to chaos and destruction.

Fortunately, the Pale King had then spoken of his plans to help not only these dwellers of the outside world, but also the small tribes of savages that, in Emilita's opinion, had been left unchecked for too long anyway. These efforts of civilizing had already gone into motion and were being spearheaded by the metal bugs that the king called his Kingsmoulds, with the sentry guards providing aid if needed. They would colonize both the tribes and the lands beyond and make sure that they recognized the Pale King as their rightful ruler. With force, if necessary.

After that, the monarch had adressed the scholar's apprentice. He had congratulated him, since he apparently played a role in the Infection's disappearance. The student, Quirrell, had humbly thanked the king, then asked what was expected of him now. To his visible surprise, the Pale King had given him the position of the new Chief Scholar and ordered him to continue the scientific research and gathering of knowledge that his predecessor had been doing. Right after that, two servants had entered the room, leading him out.

Then, the Pale King had turned himself towards Emilitia, the gaze of his infinitely wise eyes, sending slight shivers down her back.

"_Can I trust you, Emilitia of the House of Pureshell," _the king had asked.

"Yes, your highness. I'm willing to do all that is within my power to serve you and this kingdom," the young noble had answered, placing a hand over her chest. This had been it. Her chance to prove her loyalty and make it so that her house would never be forgotten.

"_To those above you, Emilitia, you are humble, as is needed," _the ruler had spoken, _"just like those who you will keep watch over shall be."_

"What do you mean by that, your highness," Emilitia had asked, confused.

The king had stood up, now looking even more regal, and answered: _"Since I plan to make it so that the capital answers only to me, you and any others that may join your ranks in nobility shall need to dwell elsewhere. Thereby, I am granting you and your house ownership of the land holding the first settlement my constructs occupied outside of the Howling Cliffs. You shall govern the commoners living there and make sure they stay obedient to _my _law."_

The sole member of the Pureshell house had known nothing but gratefullness at that moment.

"Thank you, your highness. Is there any way I am able to pay for this gift?"

"_All I demand in return,"_ The Pale King had replied, _"is your unwavering loyalty."_

"_Now," _he had continued, _"as fitting for a noble of this importance, you shall also receive a personal servant. This commoner bug came from outside of Hallownest, looking for a better life and a way to escape the savagery she had lived in before. To relieve her of the pain, I surpressed most of her memories. She shall devote her life to serving you."_

Before Emilitia had had any chance of thanking the king again, two royal retainers had entered the room and guided her to another room, where the new servant was already waiting. Without much of an exchange between the two of them except for a bow of greeting from her new subordinate, the two had left the White Palace, again borrowing the stag from the sentries.

After a silent journey, the two had reached Emilitia's residence in the city, with the servant having already known to hold the umbrella over both of them without even being asked. Now it had been a matter of getting to know each other better.

* * *

The older female was named Philips. All that she remembered besides that were the countless regrets she'd had in her previous life. Truth be told, for a commoner, she was surprisingly polite. The young noble had always expected that both the males and females of the low class were always rough-spoken. The maid had also been pleasantly eager to serve her new mistress, which had encouraged Emilitia to share some snippets of her family's great history and why Philips should be honored for being at her side. The lowly bug had listened attentively, nodding at certain points.

Soon though, the maid had shifted her attention to how much of a mess Emilitia's home was. That was true. She hadn't even remembered the last time she had the place cleaned, only knowing that it was before the Infection. The days of the illness had had a strange effect on her, seemingly slowing her down and minimizing her needs. She had rarely needed to eat, sleep or even move around, usually just staying in her chair in the middle of the room.

After getting a number of cleaning tools from an old sideroom, the maid had started to tidy up, also moving Emilitia's chair to the side so she could sit on it and not be in the way. Soon, the noble had started to get tired, a feeling she hadn't truly felt in a long time. Luckily, Philips had just finished up in the bedroom. She had helped her mistress remover her cloak, before continuing with cleaning.

The next day had been mostly spent by walking around the capital, with short conversations between Emilitia and Philips. The former had finally decided to start speaking with commoners more. She didn't care that publically talking to one was the reason the other young nobles cast her away in the first place, since they were long dead anyway and also, because she had to admit that her maid's company was somewhat enjoyable. Their stroll had taken them to the sentries' barracks at the edge of the city, where food was being handed out.

It was likely going to take quite a lot of time before any markets became active again, so, for the time being, most supplies were going to be distributed by the guards. Emilitia and Philips had left the building with the latter carrying a basket filled with raw boofly meat and a jar of spring water.

At noon, the two had returned home, where the maid had prepared the meat. Kitchens with stoves were mostly seen among the higher-ups of Hallownest. This was because bugs could eat most foods raw. Cooking vastly improved the meal's taste and sometimes made it easier to preserve.

After having spent the majority of the rest of the day visiting some of the places she used to like being at and speaking of their significance to Philips, Emilitia returned home and found a letter in her mailbox. The message had the royal seal on it and notified her that, if all went as planned, she would be taken to survey the settlment which now belonged to her.

Before falling asleep in her bed, Emilitia had thought about the things that had happened and those that were going to. The idea of ruling an entire town seemed exciting, if not a bit imposing. Still, she was certain that in a few months, everything would be going swimmingly and she'd be able to live up to her parents and ancestors. She'd make the king proud and, most importantly, she'd make mommy proud.

* * *

**?**

* * *

The small sand-colored military jeep started to come to a stop. They'd been driving off-road for about three hours to remain unseen. The meeting point the recon team had set before going offline was a tall hill with some larger rocks scattered here and there.

Aside from 'him' there were three others in the car, all recruited from the nearby Nevada facility and trained for to deal with _exotic _situations. Usually, he'd deal with situations like these with his own team, but the events in Europe demanded a lot of attention so that they wouldn't escalate further. Still, unless there was an actual need for hard combat, which he believed wouldn't be the case, the Yankees would be enough.

It'd been decided that they wouldn't fly in on a chopper, since, at the time, they hadn't known what the energy field did to normal electronic systems. 'He'd' even picked out an older car, just in case. Thankfully, the only thing that went offline was communications.

The equipment they'd brought was mostly standard issue, with only 'his' personalized gear standing out. The jeep also had an experimental device in the engine, which made it emmit much less noise. Still, the circle, which really was visible with the naked eye, had knocked out all their comms. The type of energy in the rapidly expanding field felt unfamiliar, though it still made his left eye itch like many others.

He stopped the car at the foot of the rendezvous point, getting out of it and motioning for the other soldiers to grab their gear, which was unceremoniously stored in duffel bags, and then follow him. He went up the hill to a ledge pointing towards the mountains, where the epicenter of the field seemed to be, and the small town that was already caught in it. There, laying prone besides a small military-issue tent, was another man in combat gear. The only things to note were the various pieces of reconnaissance gear on his back and his helmet, which had a large binoculars-esque device attached to it.

Having heard the other soldiers approach, the scout got onto his feet, with his hand on the pistol holser.

"At ease, soldier," 'he' said, smirking.

"Oh, it's you, general Juss," the recon team responded with a distinctly Asian accent.

"It would appear so," the general spoke with slight sarcasm, before his tone turned serious: "Tell me, what's the situation in the town?"

"Not good," the other soldier answered, "Whatever the hell those things patrolling the streets are, they're not human."

The general remained serious. "Do they possess some sort of weaponry? How strong to these _things _seem?"

"Right now, I've only seen them carry scythes," the scout said, "though their builds are much taller than our's and, for all I've seen the last two days, they haven't needed to rest once. There are also spherical flying creatures patrolling over the buildings."

He cleared his throat and continued: "Look, general, that's not the 'not good' part, the 'not good' part is that the've been rounding up and dragging away any civilians they can find."

This seemed to catch Juss' attention. Before he could ask anything else though, he heard the American soldiers come onto the hill.

"Sir, I thought you said there was a recon _team_," one of them, Smith, spoke.

"Yes, I did," the general responded, "this is Specialist Kimura, one of the best at recon I've seen in about ten years."

"Okay, so what're we dealing with here then," another of the soldiers, Green, asked.

With a minute, the scout gave the younger soldiers an overwiew of the creatures had occupied the town and how they'd been capturing the locals.

"Their weaponry seems to suggest that they're fairly primitive," the general said once Kimura had finished, "though I'll have to see them up close. Considering their behaviour, our be course of action should be to evacuate any civilians they haven't taken yet."

And how're we gonna do that," Smith asked, "all we have is the car."

"Your colleagues at Nevada issued me with a specialized flare gun," spoke Juss, "It should shoot high enough for the teams at the edge of the energy field to see. When they do, they're gonna know that it's safe to send a chopper in."

"And if they don't," Lane, who'd stayed quite until then, spoke up.

"We'll manage," affirmed Juss, "Even is it takes a couple shots, our guns should still down them. If they don't, we still have 'nades. Now, Recon, point out where we can find the locals."

"Yes Sir," the specialist responded, turning back towards the town, "a number of them barricaded themselves in the local hardware store and haven't been discovered by hostiles yet. They were armed too. Anyone else I've seen has been captured."

"Very well," the general muttered, before turning towards the other soldiers and shouting: "Gentlemen, get your gear on. We're beginning our approach at dawn."

All three Americans responded with a chorused: "Yes, Sir."

He looked back at Kimura. "Listen, I got word that you're needed back home. After you finish uploading any points of interest to my HUD, I want you to pack up, take the car and get out of here. Remember to notify the locals before you leave the country."

The Japanese reconnaissance specialist simply nodded, understanding in his eyes, and started to do as he was told.

Juss then went to the equipment bag, which held his, and opened it, starting to strap on the things he'd taken off for the trip.

He had a job to do.

* * *

**While Max is cooking, let's take a look at some other beautiful bugs and people. Half of them have even had their eggs scrambled. Now, the first human chapters are probably going to feel a bit tonally detached from the rest of the story. This is because I'm trying to use them as a small introduction to a bit of an extended universe I'm planning right now. Don't worry though. Unlike other MCU copies, this story will otherwise TRY to remain focused on the base events instead of cramming in exposition. R&R**


	9. Chapter 7: The Soldiers

Chapter 7: The Soldiers

* * *

**ADRIAN**

* * *

The others were still sleeping when he snapped awake. He didn't remember what the nightmare had been about, but he knew the kid was in it.

Adrian Reed sighed deeply and rested his forehead onto his palm. He still remembered telling his brother that there was nothing to worry about and that Max would have a fun time in Elsewhere. Who could have thought that, after so many summers, it would turn out to not be true.  
No. These things that were aliens and there was nothing he could have done to prevent them from appearing. Still, he shouldn't have left Max alone in the car like that. Especially after he was attacked by that giant bug thing.

* * *

It still seemed unreal how fast things had gone wrong. After he'd hopped into Rojas' car, the deputy had immediately floored it. They'd driven to the west end of the town and gone off road, then stopped. The officer had simply told him to look towards the desert.

Adrian had heard them before seeing them. Loud marching that made the earth shake produced by an large group of tall, metallic looking figures heading towards the town. All of them were wielding large claw-like weapons and moving in perfect unison.

Despite Adrian's warnings, Rojas had gotten out of the car and taken a few steps towards the advancing creatures, revolver unholstered. Suddenly, a number of the plated figures had turned their heads towards the car and the man standing beside it. Almost as if it was automatic, seven of them had broken from the group and begun to sprint towards the vehicle.

Ignoring Adrian loudly telling him to get back in the car, Rojas had raised his weapon and taken a shot at the aliens, which had been followed by the *pew* of a ricochet. At this point, the officer had finally decided to run back into the four wheeler, but the creatures had already reached them. Just as he had opened the car door, one of them had grabbed onto his hand. Thinking fast, Adrian had reached over and tried to pull the deputy into the car, but the attacking figure had been too strong, yanking the man out of his grip. Rojas had yelled, clearly in pain, at Adrian to get out of there.

The other creatures quickly closing in on the car, Adrian had gone into adrenaline overdrive. He'd basically jumped to the driver's seat and slammed his foot on the gas. The vehicle had roared as it barreled forwards, running one of the tall _things _over.

Hyperventilating as he'd driven the car on the uneven ground. When he had tried to take a turn onto another road leading into Elsewhere, he'd spotted at least two other groups of the white creatures, all of them facing the car. What had been worse, was that one of these 'platoons' had already reached the town's edge and had been situated right at the center of the road, blocking it. It'd been obvious that he couldn't have been able to go through all of them so he'd turned the weel again with the intent of somehow getting back to Max, even if he had to drive around the whole town for it.

Luckily, the creatures, more of whom had seemed to be appearing every second, hadn't occupied the next alley, which he'd quickly driven into. Just as he'd begun to calm down, something possessing a lot of force had slammed into the side of the car, knocking it out of control. Adrian had basically smashed the brake, barely stopping the four wheeler before it collided with a building.

However, just as he'd tried to look for what had hit the car, the object, which seemed to be _flying_ somehow, had barreled into the car again, this time making it hit the building at the side of the street. Having climbed out of the shattered window, since the door had been unopenable, Adrian had seen a large spherical thing lodged in a crater on its side. Its color and visible texture had been identical to the larger aliens that were pursuing him. Whatever it had been, it'd appeared to be trying to get itself unstuck, but had appeared to be unable to.

Looking around, he'd found himself in front of the Elsewhere's hardware store. Adrian hadn't had much time to stand idly though, as the tall creatures had caught up with him. Five of the six-headed group had then stopped in place, holding their weapons at the ready, while one had picked up its pace, closing in on him.

Having only been able to stumble backwards in panic, Adrian hadn't heard the sound of an approaching car. Just as the creature had reached out to grab him with its free hand, the roar of an engine had made itself present, as a grey pickup, one slightly larger than his own, had driven into the attacker, crushing it into the brick wall of the building beside them. The thing had flailed for a few moments, before a loud clatter could be heard as the metal plating covering it had just collapsed and fallen onto the ground, strange black liquid spilling out.

The door of the pickup had then swung open and a familiar figure had rushed out, pistol in hand.

"Not so tough now, are ya," Kent had yelled, before looking at Adrian, who'd still been standing in shock.

"Ya okay, man? Lookin' a bit shaken up."

"I'm fine," Adrian had said, though he'd still been shaking slightly, "Come on, we have to go."

Before Kent had had a chance to answer, a loud crash had caught their attention. The other aliens had started advancing on them, pulling the pickup onto its side and out of the way.

"My car! Ya'll asked for this," the armed man had hissed, aiming his pistol at them. Adrian had then grabbed onto his hand and pulled it down, saying: "Whatever they're wearing, it's bulletproof. Now let's go already."

Suddenly, the door of the building had opened and an older man with a slightly balding head had stepped onto the doorstep.

"What in god's name is happening out here," he'd exclaimed, looking around with widened eyes.

The creatures had begun rushing towards Adrian and Kent so, seeing no other option, they'd begun to make it into the structure.

"Get outta the way, Tim," Kent had shouted as the two men had basically jumped throught the door, pushing him aside.

"Close the door! Close the damn door," the rougher of the two had yelled at the frightened senior. Despite the scare, he'd listened immediately, slamming the wood-and-glass door shut. Adrian had been prepared for the worst. There would have been no way that the flimsy thing could have stopped creatures that had been strong enough to move cars.

Just as they reached the side of the building however, the aliens had stopped in their tracks, standin immobile. Adrian had gotten himself to his feet and looked at Tim who had been visibly shaking.

"What are those things?"

"I've got no idea. An entire army of them just appeared at the west end of town. Rojas was with me, but they took 'im," Adrian had responded.

"By god. Why? What," The older man had started muttering quietly, only to be interrupted by footsteps coming from above the ceiling.

The steps had then become inaudible as they'd seemed to move away from the three men. A few seconds later, the door at the back of the long room had opened and a teenage girl had stepped into the main room of the store.

"Dad, what's going on? What're those things outside," she'd asked, fear present on her face as well.

"Haley, what're yo- Oh god, I can't. I just." Timothy had seemed as he was going into a panic attack from the sudden influx of events. He'd begun to stagger, almost stumbling over. Adrian had immediately gone to support him, helping him stay on his feet.

"Haley, help me get your dad upstairs so he can calm down," he'd calmy started, "Kent, find something to put over the windows. I don't know how long those things are gonna stay out."

"Please, just tell me what's happening," the girl had pleaded.

"I don't know, but it's not good at all," Adrian had responded, while helping Timothy walk to the stairs that lead to his apartment on the second floor.

* * *

It truly hadn't been good. Altough the creatures at the front of the building had somehow not been able to enter, instead of leaving, the had just stood guard, unmoving. There hadn't been any way to contact anyone or even get a good idea about what was going on outside, since when Kent had tried to use the hatch that lead to the roof, another of the flying spheres had attempted to slam into him. The only thing any of them had know, was that the aliens were capturing anyone they could find and dragging them somewhere. This had become apparent in the first evening when they'd seen one of them dragging Dr Bright down the street while he'd seemed to be struggling as much as he could.

Now, it had been two and a half days. Luckily for them, Timothy had restocked the fridge the evening before the creatures showed up. That, along with the canned food that the family kept around, had at least given them a few day's food supply. Everything else had been looking pretty dire though. Something that had made Adrian particularly hopeless, was the knowledge that Max had likely also been captured.

* * *

Now, Adrian was sitting in the darkness of the apartment's living room, not feeling sleepy in the slightest. He then noticed someone sitting on a chair by the window.

"Can't sleep," he asked.

"I should be askin' you the same thing." Kent turned himself towards him. "Look, someone's gotta keep watch."

Adrian nodded, understanding what he meant. "How d'you think this is gonna end," he inquired.

His friend chuckled dryly, saying: "Badly. Look, I know ya'll think the stuff I say 'bout government cover-ups an' all is crazy, but do you really think they're gonna let this get loose. They'll probably just bomb us off the map."

Adrian gasped. He hadn't even thought about that, yet it made sense. Elsewhere was a fairly isolated place. Not a lot of people even knew about it and, for the people that ran the army, it would have been much easier to just completely eradicate the alien threat.

"So, how're we gonna go out then," he asked, shifting into a similarly ironic mindset as Kent.

"Y'know, in the morning, I think we should first join Tim in his little prayers. Get a few bonus points with Christ before our blaze of glory."

"That doesn't sound half bad," Adrian agreed.

Timothy Charles was a man that Adrian had known well for many years. He had inherited Elsewhere's hardware shop from his own father years ago and had spent his whole life in the town. He was also a devout christian. This didn't make him a strict traditionalist who would limit himself and his daughter though. Instead, he was a kind man who believed in honest work and appreciation of what he said god had given him. Adrian knew that his faith had also gotten him through the grief caused by the death of his wife, Olivia, fourteen years ago, just a few months after the birth of Haley.

If their situation was as hopeless as it seemed, a little prayer to good old JC could have been a nice morale boost.

Still, they were in a bad spot and if the aliens outside weren't going to get them, there was a chance the government was.

* * *

**GENERAL JUSS**

* * *

As the pure white rays of the altered Sun lit up the desert, four figures hastily approached Elsewhere from the south. Three of them were wearing sand-colored, camouflage-patterned combat uniforms, with tactical vests and kneepads covering them. They also had balaclavas covering their faces, with their heads being protected by advanced battle helmets that had protective glasses attached to them. On each of their upper right sleeves, there was an American flag. All of the four soldiers were holding HK417 assault rifles that hung around their necks with slings.

However, the fourth soldier's appearance was very different from the others'. He was wearing a light brown trenchcoat and similarly colored combat pants. There were two thin bandoliers going over his chest and an utility belt on his waist, all of which held his ammunition, sidearm and equipment. His headwear was also unlike that of his companions, the helmet being both a different model and material. His face was covered by a black rubber gas mask of older design, with a longer front end and smaller lenses, bordered by highly contrasting metal rings. On his upper right sleeve was a tricolor flag of blue, black and white.  
Something that really differentiated him from the other soldiers though, was the wide, long leather scabbard strapped onto his back, with the handle of a sword sticking out.

General Lembit Juss had always considered himself a very 'hands-on' kind of person. That was why, despite his high rank and various duties, he still often found himself part of special operations and even on larger battlefields. That could have come from the 'exotic' enviroments he'd spent a large portion of his life in or the expansive knowledge he possessed of the many things he and his worldwide organization had to deal with. Also, his special set of skills in field work. That didn't mean he only resorted to conflict though. Infact, as was often required of him, he was also very skilled in diplomacy and negotiation, which had helped him out of many unfavorable situations in the past.

His position, altough prestigious, also came with a lot of responsibility and a lot of headaches. Even his calm approach hadn't kept the political situation in many places around the world from getting heated. With the Russians in civil war and various Asian countries facing large scale riots aggrevated by a certain terrorist organization, the unrest threatening to spill into Europe.

Lembit shook his head. He'd taken part in this small-scale American operation specifically to get away from the powder keg that was everywhere else. He decided to focus on mentally going over the info and vantage points that Kimura had shared with him.

* * *

Elsewhere mostly consisted of flat-roofed brick buildings that lined the wide streets separating them. There were also two one storied homes built close to each other a small distance from the main town. This was going to make navigating it without being seen fairly difficult, as the numerous creatures patrolling around had a very good view of their surroundings.

The creatures themselves were definetly interesting. Judging from their seemingly unending stamina and almost robotic seeming movements, it was probably fair to say that at least a part of their function came from some type of magic. That meant they were most likely controlled, maybe even created, by the being from whom the field of energy was coming from. Right now though, he and his soldiers needed to figure out how to dispose of them properly. They were almost entirely covered in metal armor that was likely going to take at least a few shots to penetrate. That left shooting them in the gaps between the plates as likely the best option. The problem with that was how narrow they seemed.

As the group approached the town, they all took on a stance much lower to the ground, almost crouching. Behind a small hill just a few metres from the road into Elsewhere, Lembit ordered them to stop and get down, looking around warily.

He then began to explain his plan to the others: "Alright, we're going to want to reach the hardware store unseen so to make that easier, there needs to be a distraction."

Lembit then adressed Smith and Green: "You two are going use your timed incendiary bombs to set of an explosion at the little car pile they made. I know you're trained for covert work so not being seen shouldn't be a problem."

The 'car pile' he spoke of was an area at the western side of the town where the creatures had dragged every motor vehicle they had found. It wasn't very large, but because it was essentially a giant heap of gasoline kept inside metal frames, it still had some use.

"Lane, you and I are going to make our way to the church across the hardware store and remain hidden," the general continued, "then, when the bomb goes off, we'll regroup there and we'll enter the building from the front."

"How d'you know this'll draw them away," Smith asked.

"I don't. There's a big chance this won't work and we'll have to improvise."

Improvisation was something that the old soldier was very familiar with. Simply put, almost every operation or mission he'd taken part in had had something go wrong, Murphy's law and all. Still, there was always the hope that with enough preparation and skill, the next one will be finished. And besides, even with some hiccups, he'd still helped a lot of missions be carried out successfully.

"Do you understand your orders?"

"Yes, Sir," the others replied in unison.

* * *

Without saying anything else, the small group of humans split, moving towards their objectives. Lembit and Lane kept low as they entered the town, moving into the gaps between the buildings. When one of the patrolling creatures happened to get near them, they quickly dove behind a nearby dumpster for cover. Still, because the hostiles' acted so robotically in their 'routine', evading them proved to be much easier than what they had expected.

That didn't mean they weren't careful though. With a slow, yet steady, pace, they eventually reached the church, which they entered through the back door. It was one of those classic small town churches, with white walls, light green roof and a short tower above the front door. Having entered the empty building with Lane, the general walked to and sat down on a stool by the front door.

"And now we wait." He leaned back against the wall, taking a small metal case out of a coat pocket.

This confused the other soldier who had crouched between the benches. "Sir, I don't think that is the best place. You could be spotted here," he said, varily looking at the large windows of the building.

"Trust me," Lembit affirmed, "even if they happen to see us, they shouldn't be strong enough to enter yet." He pulled off the gas mask, attaching it to his belt, and opened the case, putting one of its contents, a brown cigar, between his jaws.

"You want one," he asked his companion, "always a chance it'll be the last. 'S good quality too."

Lane hesitated for a few moments, before answering: "A'right, I'll take one."

He was immediately tossed one of the cigars, which he caught in his hand.

"Need a lighter," the general offered, taking out his.

"No, Sir," the soldier responded, before digging a matchbox out of his own pocket.

They sat in their positions for about ten minutes, silently puffing their cigars and, every once in a while, looking out the windows in case something was approaching. Eventually, two sets of footseteps could be heard at the back of the building. Lembit stood up and approached the back entrance, his hand over the sidearm holser. He moved it off the very next second though, as Smith and Green entered the main room of the church.

"Good timing," he commented, "we were just getting bored. How did it go?"

"I'm sure you were, Sir," responded Smith, before looking at his watch. "The bomb should go off in about five se-"

A slightly muffled, yet still very audible explosion cut him off. Glancing at the two soldiers sternly, Lembit motioned for all of them to take position by the wall next to the church's front door, doing the same himself. He then put his mask back on, hearing it mechanically lock itself to the combat helmet.

It didn't take too long for the group to hear a large amount of heavy footsteps passing them and fading in the direction that the blast went off in. When they'd heard nothing for a minute, Lembit pushed on the door lightly, making a gap, which he peeked through. After making sure that there weren't any hostiles around, he shoved the door open and started walking across the road, the others following him.

"Keep your eyes peeled," he ordered the soldiers.

Having reached the hardware store, all of them quickly saw that the bottom floor windows and door had been boarded from the inside. Not wishing to waste any time, the general kicked the entrance open, the lock and wood planks loudly cracking as they broke. He entered the building with his rifle at the ready, the others following close behind. The store inside was much smaller than most others of its like. It still had the essentials though, with a counter beside the front door and multiple rows of shelves holding items one would usually see sold in a place like this.

The group walked to the back of the room. Then, Lembit opened the door to the staircase and began to walk up. As he reached the second floor though, the metallic click of a lock turning could be heard from the door of the apartment where the locals were.

Lembit knocked on the door. "Don't be alarmed! We're here to rescue you," he loudly declared.

After about ten seconds of silence, he knocked again, saying: "Open the door. We haven't got much time."

After nobody responded for another ten seconds, Lembit decided to take action.

"Listen, I don't want to be in this situation any more than you four, but because I also don't like uncooperative people, I'm going to stop being nice."

He took a step back and kicked the door open.

* * *

**ADRIAN**

* * *

A loud crash came from the hall as the stranger broke through the door. Adrian and Kent had taken by the living room's entrance, the latter having his gun drawn and the former grasping a kitchen knife. Timothy and his daughter had both hid in the bedroom. Whoever this was, it was certain that they were responsible for the explosion that could have been heard just a few minutes ago.

Adrian was sweating as he pressed himself against the wall. Looking at Kent, he saw that his forehead was also glistening. He was truly scared at that moment. Perhaps the intruder was one of the aliens who'd tried to lure them out by imitating a human. The voice did sound slightly distorted and nothing could have surprised his anymore.

Then, both of them heard footsteps, which sounded heavy, but not as loud or metallic as the stomps that the aliens made when they walked. A slight moment of relief was ended by new worries: If this was a human, that would have meant that the were skilled and, judging from the explosion outside, sufficiently armed, convincing Adrian that this person had to be with the military. This meant that instead of being captured, they would likely be killed.

As the slow footsteps got closer, Adrian raised his knife. Even though the stranger was probably much more experienced in fighting than he or Kent, he still refused to go down without a fight. Suddenly, the figure came into the doorway.

Kent yelled and pointed his gun at them, only for the intruding soldier to grab onto his arm and twist it sideways while slamming it into the wall, forcing him to drop the firearm without even firing a shot. Adrian then went in, trying to stab the attacker, prompting them to quickly turn around and elbow him in the gut, making him stagger backwards, his knife falling onto the floor.

The soldier then grabbed the back of his collar and pushed him towards the couch, making him stumble onto it.

Then, footseps could be heard from the hall again, followed by three other people, all dressed in military outfits, entering the living room. One of them pointed their rifle at Kent, who was clutching his hurt right arm, to move beside Adrian, which he did immediately.

"That wasn't very polite, now was it?," the person who'd attacked them said, their voice garbled by the old-fashioned, spooky-looking gas mask they were wearing.

"Now," he, as Adrian judged from his build and voice, continued, "let's try this again."

He used his hand to pull off the front of his mask with surprising ease, revealing his face. The lower part of it was covered by a short yet thick brown beard, right above which was a straight nose. His left eye was covered by a black eyepatch, which was surrounded by thin tattooed lines. Adrian was taken aback, not by the unusual eyewear, but the fact that he recognized this man from TV.

Before he could say anything though, the soldier began speaking: "My name is general Lem-"

"Just do it already! Come on," Kent loudly cut in, "I know all about who you are, _general _Juss, and I know that you're here just to off all of us, before torching our home and running back to your Illuminati hellhole you hatch your plans in!"

Adrian's friend breathed through his teeth, before continuing, slightly quieter this time: "Go on then. Shoot us. Leave no witnesses as you always do."

The man Kent had identified as general Juss stayed expressionless for a few seconds, before asking: "Are you done, mister Hayes?"

"How do you know my name," Adrian's friend asked, breathing heavily.

"Checked the town's records before driving here," stated Juss, "it was fairly easy with how small this place is. Now, can you answer my question?"

Kent just nodded.

"Lovely," he said, "now as I was about to say, before being very rudely interrupted," he looked directly towards Kent, "I am general Juss and this," he pointed towards the soldiers behind him," is not a coverup mission. We're here to rescue you."

Adrian's eyes widened in surprise. Of all the things that could have happened, he hadn't expected rescue, especially this quickly and from someone like this.

"Just wait a second. Why are you helping us," he asked, skeptical.

"That's not relevant at the moment," Juss responded, before turning around and adressing the rest of the 'rescue party'.

"Lane, find the other two and tell them to not worry and that they'll be getting out of here soon. Smith, Green, you head down and rig the front of the building with sensor mines. Make it quick and then come back here."

"Understood, Sir," one of them, either Green or Smith said the others nodding, before all three left the living room.

The officer then reached down and picked up Kent's pistol. "I understand that it might be slightly difficult to believe our intentions," he began sternly as he turned back towards the two men, "but we don't have much time. For now, you're going to have to trust me."

Holding it by the slide, he held the gun towards its owner.

Snatching it back, Kent frowned, saying: "What good's this gonna do anyway? Those things are bulletproof. I only managed to kill one by running it over." He then stood up, making eye contact with Juss. "A'right, I'm gonna be nice and listen to you for now, _sir_." He set the pistol to 'safe', put it in his pocket and walked to the wall, leaning against it.

Then, movement could be heard from the hall, followed by Timothy and Haley entering the room, the soldier who was sent to fetch them, Lane, walking behind them.

"Is it true that you are saving us," the older man asked.

"Yes it is," Juss affirmed, holding out his right hand, "you and the girl will hopefully be out of harm's way soon."

"Oh, thank the heavens. Timothy Charles, Sir. Pleased to meet you," Timothy introduced himself, enthusiastically accepting the handshake. He then looked at his daugher. "Did you hear that, sweetie? We're going to be safe."

He looked back at the officer. "I must ask," he began, "how did you manage to get past those abominations outside."

"You must've heard the explosion we set off," the general asked.

"Oh, that was caused by you," the old storeowner said.

"Gave them something to be occupied with while we made our way here. Now, you should sit down while the guys outside finish up."

Timothy nodded, sitting down on the couch beside Adrian, who decided to speak up. "Excuse me, um, Sir," heasked, feeling a bit nervous, "but how are we actually going to leave the town?"

"I'm going to use a flare gun to call a chopper. It'll fly us out," Juss answered, "until it gets here, my team and I will hold off the creatures."

"That might not be necessary," Adrian said, prompting a confused look from the officer.

"I don't know why," he continued, "but when they were chasing us, they couldn't enter the store. Just stopped at the door like something was holding them back."

This seemed to take the general by surprise.

"So they knew you were here, but were unable to enter?"

Adrian nodded. "Yes, but they always had atleast one stay outside. I'm guessing in case any of us tried to leave."

Juss just nodded, before he began to look around the living room. He looked at the books in the shelf and at the framed pictures Timothy had of his family and him, stopping at a photograph of Olivia, which had a small wooden cross attached to it.

He then turned towards the aged storeowner, asking: "Your household is religious, is it not?"

"Yes, it is," Timothy said, "why is that important to you, Sir?"

"It's nothing important," the officer said, seemingly in thought, "I was just curious."

"Sir? Sir we're done outside," one of the other soldiers suddenly said from the hall, "we should act quickly though. I think they're starting to head back towards us."

"Understood, Smith, I'm going to head up now," Juss sounded back, before looking at Adrian and the other remaining residents of the town. "You four, stay put until we say it's safe to move. Keep away from the windows though. Lane, stay here with the others for now."

Before he exited the room, Adrian decided to ask about the leathery scabbard the officer had on his back for some reason: "What's with the giant sword, uh, Sir?"

Without turning around, Juss answered: "Hopefully, it'll only be for moral support."

He then walked out, leaving Adrian sitting on the couch beside the others, anticipation about what was going to happen next building. With the soldiers present, the odds of them surviving were pretty high. He just hoped that Max and the others would be rescued too at some point.

* * *

**GENERAL JUSS**

* * *

The sword wasn't only going to be for moral support, that much was certain.

Lembit walked into the hall. He ordered Smith and Green to group up wih Lane and take position by any windows that faced the street. Then he exited the apartment through the broken door and headed towards the ladder that led to the flat roof of the building. Before climbing up, he put his mask back on.

Lembit dragged himself up the narrow ladder and opened the roof hatch. He stood up and reached for a holster on the side of his belt, taking out the long distance flare launcher. Besides a slightly longer and wider barrel, it didn't really differ from others like it. The real difference was with the flare that was in it. He pointed it straight up and fired.

The flare gun's bang was followed by a loud screech, as the modified charge shot into the sky, a trail of red behind it. Crouching down and peeking over the roof's edge, Lembit saw a number of the hostile creatures approach down the street. The soldier knew that entering the store was now going to be their main priority and that any protection the building might have had was still likely going to falter. He hoped that the explosives that his subordinates placed were positioned well enough to keep them away for some time.

As he began heading back, one of the flying spherical creatures came into wiew, its tiny wings buzzing angrily and its small eyes glaring at the human on the roof. Suddenly, the thing rushed through the air towards him. Counting on his reflexes, Lembit punched the advancing _thing_, knocking it backwards through the air and giving him enough time to drop down and close the hatch. Just as he was about to reenter the apartment, some of the mines in the street could be heard going off. The general hastened his pace, not wanting to miss the fireworks.

* * *

The soldiers were taking cover besides the windows when he entered the living room, cautiously peeking outside. Taking a look himself, he saw that the group of creatures he had seen coming their way was still attempting to march forwards, despite their numbers being thinned by the blasts. The ones that got caught in them seemed to just collapse into piles of armor plates, with some kind of black liquid spilling out underneath."

"The bombs were pretty small so we decided to put them in clusters along the street," Green commented, "luckily they seem dumb enough to not notice them."

"I wouldn't say that," Lembit responded, "they're just willing to lose fighters. When those mines run out, remember to try and shoot any areas not covered by those plates."

The others nodded. Looking back at the civilians, the general said: "We've got things under control. Rescue's gonna be in thirty minutes at the most. Feel free to cover your ears."

The slowly advancing rows of creatures soon reached the last cluster of mines, just in front of the door. The bombs went off, forcing them to stop.

"Now," Lembit yelled, before all four of the soldiers leaned out of the windows and began firing on the approaching enemies with their rifles. The weapons were fitted with holographic sights, which made it much easier to aim for the creatures' weak spots.

It took quite a few shots to kill one, since the armor gaps were narrow and, with them being on moving targets, hard to hit. The best targets were really the 'face-holes' beneath their spiky helmets. That's why Lembit started to go for precise hits between the glowing white eyes, because it saved ammo too.

A few minutes of shooting later, they stopped, each of them having used up at least two magazines. By then, the creatures had started to try and dodge the incoming bullets, which made Lembit decide to switch tactics.

"Everyone, get your grenades out," he ordered, pulling his own frags off the bandolier.

One by one, they started to chuck the small explosives down at their enemies, aiming for those who were bunched up. Of course, each of them only had a few grenades, so after a short amount of time, they had to get the guns out again.

"Remember to be conservative with the ammo, people," the general reminded the others, "hardest part is gonna be getting to the chopper."

It had been about fifteen minutes since he shot the flare, meaning that rescue was due in at least ten. It was critical that they didn't let anyone in during that time. The soldiers kept taking shots at the enemies, making sure that not a single one managed to get into the store.

"Damn, gotta reload," said Lane as he pulled the empty magazine out of his rifle, replacing it with a new one. Unfortunately, one of the creatures he'd been shooting at noticed the break in firing and made a mad dash for the store.

* * *

Luckily, the building's strange protection, that Lembit may or may not have understood the origin of, kicked in and the attacker stopped right at the door, unable to get further. All four noticed this and stopped firing.

"Wait, why do we even have to waste ammo," Green asked, "they can't get in anyway."

"Yes, but we still have to leave the building soon and thinning them out is going to help with that," answered Lembit, "besides, no barrier's gonna last forever. We'll take a small break and let them wear it down a little, then continue shooting."

Lane and Smith nodded in approval. A few minutes of rest wouldn't hurt anyone. Actually, it just consisted of the soldiers leaning against the walls besides the windows. Lembit stayed at the window though, looking at what was happening in the street.

The creatures had now all come to the building's front and were all using their scythes to try and hit at the door. However, something invisible was blocking them, making the weapons bounce back from seemingly nothing. It stayed that way for quite some time, the attacker continuing their attempts at breaking through.

Then, it happened. One of the creatures took a wide swing at the door and the invisible barrier let up. Immediately, the attackers started approaching the entrance.

"Positions! They're coming in," Lembit shouted, already leaning out and shooting at the ones closest to the door.

The soldiers wasted no time joining him in shooting at the invaders. Something must have signaled the ones standing away from the store as well, since they too started approaching.

Luckily, a new sound could soon be heard over the shooting: the loud noise of a helicopter's blades.

"Alright everyone, be ready to move," shouted lembit, standing up from besides the window and running out the door.

* * *

He quickly made his way to the ladder and onto the roof. There, looking up, he saw the carbon black vehicle circling over the town. It was the first time he actually saw the new type. It was an experimental variant of the Pave Low, designed to be more aerodynamic and to use a more powerful engine, thus making it faster.

The general pulled out another red flare, this time completely standard, from a pocket on his belt, swiftly igniting it. He then threw it onto the street below, which luckily was wide enough for a safe landing.

Instead of going back down the ladder, Lembit decided to use the fire ladder on the side of the building. He slid down the metal frame, landing on the ground below. He then made his way onto the street, where the creatures were still advancing towards the shop's entrance.

Without saying anything, he pointed his rifle towards them and pressed down on the trigger, not even bothering to aim. He didn't mean to hit any of them, just get their attention, which it did very well, as the armored figures' gazes snapped to him. They seemed to forget about entering the store in an instant, moving away from the building and towards the lone human in the street.

Lembit stopped firing. This was excactly what he had wanted.

"Men, get the civilians and make your way outside," he shouted at the soldiers in the window, "I'll get their attention!"

"Understood sir," Lane responded, before all three disappeared back into the building

The stream of fire from the gun stopped, being replaced with loud clicking. He set it on his back, since he was out of magazines anyway. The general's hand then went to the large holster strapped to his bandolier. To be perfectly honest, he'd waited for this moment for the whole morning.

He pulled out the pistol, or at least what he used as a pistol. The bulky firearm was actually an old bolt action rifle cut down as much as possible and fitted with a smaller grip. It also used custom made divinium ammunition, which made it kick harder than a mule.

He pointed the gun at the fast approaching creatures, both hands holding the grip. Aiming for the closest, he pulled the trigger and the weapon fired, a loud bang going through the air. The armored figure stopped dead in its tracks. Looking at its chest, Lembit saw a small hole in the armor plate on its chest spewing out the black liquid that was apparently inside of them. The next moment, the figure collapsed into a pile of metal, giving way for the multiple others behind it.

Lembit rechambered another round. Before he could fire again though, one of the creatures threw its scythe towards him. He ducked forward, narrowly avoiding it, before standing back up and being forced to dodge an attack from another of the robotic figures who'd gotten close enough.

Lembit glanced behind the attackers to see that the chopper had managed to land and that the Americans were already outside, running towards it. He had to get over there quick or there would have been a chance that they'd get overwhelmed.

He avoided another slash from a creature, before shooting it point blank. He then stepped back from the others, placing the gun back in its holster. As the menacing figures stepped closer, their scythes readied, both of his hands went to the handle sticking out of the scabbard on his back. He pulled the sword out with a swing, blocking an attack from one of his assailants and making them both stagger backwards.

Unfortunately, the creature recovered its balance first and went in for another slash. Lembit ducked again, but couldn't avoid it fully, the blade of the scythe scraping his arm, making him hiss in pain. Before the enemy could strike again though, he went in for an attack himself, using both hands to swing his blade at it. This left the creature with a long visible scratch on its chest plate. He then struck with the tip of blade, hitting the damaged spot. This appeared to finally crack it, as the strange black liquid started leaking out and, a moment later, the creature collapsed onto itself.

Unwilling to let anything else distract him, Lembit hastily fit the sword back into the scabbard and, dodging slashes from the other creatures, began to run towards the chopper. Only a few metres from the chopper though, he received a strong blow against his back, making him stumble forward and fall onto the ground. Rolling around, he saw one of the figures standing above him, both arms raised with the scythe, prepared for the killing blow.

Thankfully, before it could deliver, two gunshots could be heard and it became still, before collapsing right beside Lembit. Getting back up and looking at the chopper, the general was surprised to see the conspiracy theorist, Hayes, standing at the chopper's door and holding up his pistol.

"Come on, get in," the man shouted, before retreating back himself.

The running of the other creatures was already audible, even with the noise of the chopper's rotor. Lembit rushed towards the helicopter, basically jumping inside.

* * *

"Let's get moving! Go go go," he then yelled to the pilot.

While he grabbed onto a handle for takeoff, Lane slammed the side door closed.

The sound of the rotor became louder as the helicopter raised itself off the ground, shaking slightly in the process.

"Excuse me, Sir! I've a question," the man who had tried to stab him earlier shouted.

"If it's urgent, speak up," Lembit responded.

"If your people come back, they're gonna save the others as well, right?"

Before Lembit could answer, something struck the outside of the helicopter, the force of the impact making him lose his grip on the handle and be slammed against the closed door.

"We're hit," the pilot yelled as a red light began flashing in the cockpit. That wasn't all though. A moment later, the aircraft was struck again, this time somewhere above. Immediately afterwards, any navigability there might have still been was lost, as it began to spin out of control.

"They got the rotor! We're going down,"

"Everyone, hold on," Lembit shouted, grabbing onto the handle again. The others at least pleasure of being strapped into seats.

Looking towards the cockpit, he saw the ground approaching, fast.

He knew what he had to do.

* * *

**ADRIAN**

* * *

The first thing that Adrian noticed when he woke up was that it the air felt hot and that he was swaying from side to side. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring directly at the ground, which was moving.

"Huh wha- What's going on," he slurred, attempting to move his head.

"Oh, good," said a familiar voice, "you're awake."

The next moment, he could feel whatever he was being carried on move and promptly fell onto the dry surface below.

He pushed himself onto his feet, coughing, and looked at the person who'd dropped him. In front of him stood the soldier who'd lead the team that had come to rescue him, Kent and the Charles's. He wasn't wearing his strange old gas mask.

"What happened," Adrian asked, "wher're we?"

"The chopper went down," the other man responded, his tone serious, "you and I were the only ones that managed to get out. If the others aren't dead, they're captured."

He started walking through the desert again, motioning for Adrian to follow him. The latter still had questions though.

"Why'd you save me, not one of your men?"

"Well," the general began, "funny thing is, I wanted to go for Lane. You just happened to be closer and time was running out."

"Okay," Adrian said, "but seriously, where are we going, um, Sir?

The strange general stopped and pointed at the mountains on the horizon.

"There, that's where the others were taken. Also, call me Juss. We're in the desert, headed towards certain doom. Ranks don't mean a thing right now."

Adrian was surprised by this. "Sorry, uh, Juss," he asked, "why are we headed there? Shouldn't we go somewhere else to get help."

"Nothing's close enough," Juss began, "and the town's not safe anymore. Our best bet is to go wherever the creatures came from and hope that there's enough there to replenish our supplies with."

"Besides," he continued, now looking straight at the other man with a small grin, "I've got a feeling you've got someone there."

Adrian's eyes widened in surprise. Was this guy a damn psychic?

"How'd you know," he asked.

"Gut feeling, for the most part at least," the general responded, "also, you asked about us coming back for the others on the chopper."

"Oh."

"Who is it," Juss quiered.

Seeing no reason not to answer, Adrian did so: "It's my nephew, Max, he was over for the summer."

"We'll get him back," the general said, "I promise. Even if it's just the two of us."

The two started walking through the desert again, the Sun beaming over their heads. It seemed they would be going for quite some time, as the mountains were still pretty far.

Deciding to kill the time with some more questions about his companion, Adrian asked: "What kind of general are you anyway? Aren't your type too important to go into the action?"

"Very well," Juss said, reluctance in his voice, "but do understand that I'm only gonna tell you these things because there's a large chance you're going to die."

"Alright," Adrian hesitantly muttered.

"Aside from playing a role in international relations and conflicts in these past few years of being general," Juss began, "for the longest time in my life, I've also worked to keep humanity and Earth safe from other things. _Non-human_ things. Of course to ordinary people like you, that part remains unknown."

"Wow, so Kent was right about some things," Adrian muttered, remembering some nights where his friend had gone off about the general after he'd appeared on TV.

"I can assure you," said the general, "that anything Hayes has heard or said about me isn't half as crazy as the things I've actually seen or had to deal with.

Suddenly, something came up in Adrian's mind.

"Wait," he asked, "were you the ones that helped push back that attack on New York three years ago."

Three years prior, in 2012, New York City had suffered a surprise assault from a strange, well equipped force. Altough a lot of information about the event was kept from the public, enough phone footage and pictures eventually surfaced online that the government had to come out and admit that, yes, it was indeed an attempted alien invasion. Luckily, a government agency had acted fast enough and, with the help of a 'group of remarkable people' as the media called them, had managed to repel the attack very quickly.

"No, those weren't my people," Juss answered, "It was one of your's. There are quite a few other organizations, besides mine, that attempt to deal with what normal people would call 'supernatural'. Some, like the guys that fought in NY, I get along well with. Others, I don't. Anything else? We've got a lot of ground to cover and I'm willing to sate your curiosity, granted you don't get too nosey."

Adrian hadn't expected his unusual companion to be this open. Then again, he had said that there was a possibility he would die. Still, he wasn't going to waste his chance of learning more about the strange general.

"What's with the big sword and eyepatch," he asked.

"The sword's a family heirloom that I've kept in good condition," said Juss," I only take it to more _interesting_ missions, such as this one. The eyepatch, I don't want to talk about. Just know that I've trained myself to see just fine, even with it blocking one eye."

"Okay," muttered Adrian, before a new thought crossed his mind.

"What're we going to do once we get to the mountains?"

"We'll trail the creatures to where they took the others," said Juss, "be it on the mountain or inside of it. Then, we'll figure out the best possible way to get them out. Now get yourself ready up here," he used a finger to point at his head, "because this will probably get rough."

Adrian nodded. "I understand, uh, Juss"

They both kept quiet after that, Adrian walking behind Juss. Part of his mind tried to grasp that they were both walking into danger that, according to the soldier, had a high chance of killing him. Still, for Max, he'd to it. He had promised his brother that his nephew would be perfectly safe in Elsewhere and, even if it would be the end of him, he would deliver on that promise.

* * *

**THE PALE KING**

* * *

The Wyrm sat in his throne, pondering. For every good thing that was happening, a bad thing seemed to contrast it.

The last two days, he had spent a lot of his Focus on the captured humans. Gifting them masks and then properly rewriting their minds, surpressing the problematic memories. The newly minted bugs were currently finishing their transformations and would be released into society in the following days.

He also had to give Focus to the constructs fighting alongside his sentry force in the western caves, civilizing the tribes living there. The campaign was going well, since the years of the Infection had largely weakened the primitive bugs. The only ones still showing some resistance were the mantises.

Still, all of this this meant that he had less control over the Kingsmoulds currently in the occupied settlement and had to give them a much simpler command: to patrol the streets until they find another human and to then catch them.

There was something else about the town though.  
When the Pale King had told the small meeting of influential bugs that any higher beings had long left the humans' civilization, he hadn't been entirely truthful.

From the memories of the soon-to-be bugs, the king had discovered that they still actively worshipped one who, despite apparently giving up their physical form millennia ago, still had a lot of influence among some humans. There was even a wooden building in the town, raised just for praising them.

The place of worship had enough of the other god's power protecting it, that the Kingsmoulds were completely unable to enter it. Worse yet, the protective barrier had somehow carried over to a building next to it, letting four humans hide there. The king had ordered a few of his constructs to stand outside, since they had to come out at some point.

A few hours ago, in the morning, the Kingsmoulds' hivemind, that the Pale King currently couldn't give that much of his Focus to, lit up. The small picture in the back of his mind started buzzing, notifying him that something was wrong.

And indeed something was. A small group of human warriors wielding strange weapons had snuck into the settlement with the intent of 'rescuing' the few humans not caught yet. They had stayed inside the protected building for some time. It had taken the king's full Focus, along with the strength of multiple Kingsmoulds, to destroy the invisible barrier.

Unfortunately, after it broke, the apparent leader of the human warriors had distracted all of his Kingsmoulds, allowing for the others to escape into some kind of flying metal vehicle that had arrived. The lone human had then fought off multiple Kingsmoulds with a nail, before heading into the air-tram himself.

Luckily, a few moments after it had taken off, a few of his Wingsmoulds had rushed into it, forcing the vehicle to crash. As it had been barreling towards the ground, the king had felt a strange blast of energy coming from the inside. When the Kingsmoulds had headed to the wreckage to capture the humans, the leader and another one had been nowhere to be found.

But that wasn't even the worst thing. His daughter, who he had just been preparing to retool into a loyal fighter of Hallownest, had escaped from the dungeon and the disguised hornet had gone with her. Undoubtedly, when the savage bug had shed his human form, he'd begin misguiding her, telling her his evil lies and maybe even seducing her. His daughter's mind was already conflicted and this wouldn't do it any good. Still, whatever it would take, he'd get her back and show her the light, removing any doubts that might be in the way.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this long chapter of exposition, refrences and action. Also, a proper introduction to our edgy edgelord of a new character. **

**Incase you're worrying, this story will stay focused on Hollow Knight and won't become a crossover. The apparent religious element is going to stay minor as well. **

**Next chapter is finally going to be with Hornet and Max again. I hope you're excited. R&R**

**(Seriously though, try to count the refrences. I won't mind)**


	10. Chapter 8: Awakening and New Feelings

Chapter 8: Awakening and New Feelings

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

Max was floating. He didn't know how or where, but he was aware that it was somewhere warm, safe and dark. What had happened to him? He didn't remember. Atleast he felt the presence of his sisters.

No, wait.

He was a hornet, not a Hiveling. How could he have forgot? Maybe spending too much time near his cousins' hivemind was confusing his own. Still, them being near probably meant that he was safe.

He tried remembering what had happened to him. He could recollect being with the spectral queen of the Hivelings, Vespa, and speaking about something. Then something had suddenly caused him to feel a lot of pain pain and pass out.

There had been someone else there too though. A female bug who wasn't a Hiveling.

Hornet? Yes, that was her name. Max remembered that she had broken them both out of the Pale King's dungeon. She had also carried him after he'd collapsed from being very hurt. What had been wrong with him though?

Wasn't it something about his hand, among other places?

Yeah, he remembered that it had changed somehow, becoming that of a bug. But he was already a bug: a proud hornet, wasn't he? One of his hands, the one that had transformed, had been, of course, covered by shell, but the other one had been covered by skin.

Human skin.

Human.

Suddenly, Max felt as if barrier had been lifted in his head, refilling his mind with memories that he'd momentarily forgotten for some reason. He remembered being captured and his life before that, having the mask forced on him, meeting Hornet and escaping with her, reaching the Hive and the things the queen had told him. About how he was turning into a hornet.

Max realized that this could have been why he had just thought himself to be a hornet just moments ago. Maybe the transformation had finished and he already was one. How long had he been out anyway?

And where was he? The surroundings were so dark that he couldn't even see himself. Yes, the strange thick liquid he was in felt warm and nice, but it also made him feel a little restricted. This feeling was amplified when he tried to move his arms and legs around and found that whatever he was in, it was really small. His limbs being basically unable to move without banging into the walls of this container.

Max started to feel claustrophobic. He had never been that keen on tight spaces, preferring to have some breathing room. It wasn't something that gave him panic attacks in a crowd or anything, but it still liked to tell him to keep in the open. There was also some new instinct, possibly from the hornet part of his mind, that told him that he had to get out as fast as possible.

He agreed.

Out! He started punching at the wall in front of him.

Out! He added his legs into the mix, kicking aswell.

Out! The wall cracked, then broke, making him fall onto the solid wax floor outside, the liquid he'd been inside of spilling out aswell.

* * *

At first, Max simply laid mask-first on the warmly colored floor, enjoying the feeling of fresh air on his shell.

Wait, shell?

He pushed himself onto his feet with the goal of being able to see where he was and what he actually looked like now. Standing up, it was obvious that his balance was much different than what it had been before, yet his apparent new hornet instincts told him excactly how to stand.

Turning around, he saw a broken ovate wax cocoon slightly taller than himself and still leaking out liquid, which he now recognized as honey, no, wait, Hiveblood.

His mind was confused again. He wanted to call it honey, but a part of him insisted that it was Hiveblood and nothing else.

Deciding to focus on something else, he then looked down at his hands to see that, despite still dripping with the sticky liquid, they were now both changed and covered by smooth black shell. Unlike in the cave, they felt stronger too, despite being slightly thinner than a human's.

Before he had a chance to get a good look at the rest of his new anatomy, Max heard the buzzing of multiple sets of wings. Looking up, he saw multiple Hivelings enter the room he was in. Having noticed the hornet, most of them quickly flew close and started inspecting him.

"New hornet awake!," one of them cheered.

"Are okay? Nothing hurt," another asked, concerned.

"Sisters, please give him some space," admonished the Hiveling that had stayed away. She was visibly larger than the others and had a white ribbon tied around her midsection. The smaller ones quickly obeyed, backing away from Max.

"Sorry, big sister."

"I know, I know," the bigger Hiveling spoke, before turning towards Max, "Are you feeling well, new-hornet?

"Uh, yeah, I guess," said the hornet, before asking: "Who are you?

"I," the ribbon-wearing bug declared, placing a foreleg on her midsection, "am one of the Hive's royal healers, Apisia, and the one responsible for ensuring your safe and painless transition into one of our cousins."

Max's eyes widened. "Thank you," he said, "I just dug myself out of that cocoon. Does that mean that the transformation is finished?"

"It does appear so, yes," replied Apisia, looking him over. "Have you not seen yourself yet," she then asked.

Max nodded. "Yeah, do you have some kind of mirror?"

The healer looked confused for a second, before nodding, saying: "Oh, a mirror. Yes, of course. We have one of those in the bathing chamber. You'll be able to wash off the Hiveblood there as well."

She turned towards the other Hivelings, her antennae moving slightly. Her smaller sisters all nodded and started flying towards the doorway. Apisia motioned for Max to follow them, before turning to leave herself.

They moved through the corridors without saying anything. Max knew that they didn't have to. He could feel the conversations in his new relatives' Hivemind as a quiet buzz in the back of his head.

The level they were on must have been one of the lower ones, as there weren't any large halls, but rather smaller chambers and passageways. Walking behind his flying guides, Max caught glimpses of these rooms, which housed other Hivelings who, instead of working, were resting, playing or seemingly just chatting. He understood that these must have been the living spaces for the workers.

After traveling for some time, the group finally came to a stop in front of a doorway at the end of a short corridor. Apisia looked at Max.

"The bathing chamber is through here. You can find a mirror in the side room. Us Hivelings do not care too much about our appearances so there's only one."

"I don't think I'll need any more. Thanks for your help," said Max as he walked into through the doorway.

"It was our pleasure, new-hornet," the healer shouted, unkowingly reminding him of his new, permanent condition.

* * *

The room he now found himself in was much taller than any other he'd seen on this level. It was also clear that it was built into the outer edge of the Hive, as the curved wall of the chamber had large spots with rock not covered by wax. It was clear why the bathing chamber was situated here, since there was a wide hole in a visible portion of the cliff from which water cascaded into a large circular pool in the center of the room. There weren't any hivelings present at the moment so the only audible sound was that of the waterfall.

Max made his way around the pool and towards a small doorway that he figured must have lead into the side room. He entered the tiny space and looked around. There really wasn't much there, except for a floor lamp, the mirror and a large wooden closet that took up an entire corner.

In the lamp's light, Max finally got to look at his new body. In addition to his arms and legs, which had already changed before he was put into the cocoon, the rest of him had also undergone drastic alterations. His head was now a much different, smaller shape and his mask had changed too, its small horns appearing sharper and its overall build being less round, giving it a more threathening appearance. That was further helped by the previously present puppet-esque mouth having disappeared and black colored streaks having appeared, going down the bone white of the mask.

His chest, or rather midsection, was thin and skeletal, but felt strong. The colors of his mask carried over as yellow and black stripes. Both his arms and legs were also attached to the thorax. They no longer had the coarse texture like before, instead appearing a healthy, smooth and shiny black.

The part most different from his old form was his abdomen, which descended from his waist just behind his legs and, to his limited knowledge, was now supposed to hold most of his organs. It had a rounded shape and the shell covering it was striped with the same colors as his midsection.

Max turned his body, looking at himself from multiple angles. It was obvious that he was now built to be a predator. In addition to his threatening mask and tall build, he felt like he could do more. His senses were definetly sharper now that he thought about it. He could probably sniff out prey blindfolded.

Still, he felt a little estranged. Not because all of this felt so new, but because it didn't. For some reason, it seemed as though he had always been this way. The body felt familiar, _too _familiar. His thoughts seemed to be slightly different too. Just another moment ago, he'd been thinking about catching prey as if it was an everyday thing. But wasn't it though? His kin were hunters after all.

This change in his mind showed itself again the next moment, when he finally noticed that he had spent his entire time awake completely unclothed. That didn't seem strange or taboo to him either, despite him knowing that it should. It made sense though. Even if he could still kind of wear his shirt, his legs had changed too much for human pants to even fit around them.

Having properly seen his hornet form now, Max then decided to head back to the larger chamber to wash off the remaining Hiveblood. A lot of it had dripped off during the trip here, but some of it still stained his abdomen.

As he was exiting the side room, Max noticed a bug standing on the edge bathing chamber's pool, their back turned towards him. From the slight scent and the tiny, but visible stinger at the tip of their sleek abdomen, he could immediately tell that it was a female. Traveling up the sleek, athletic looking body, his eyes widened with recognition once he saw her mask. Nobody, especially him, could have forgotten that sharp crescent shape. It was Hornet.

And she looked nice.

Maybe even slightly more than nice.

Max watched with silent curiosity as she crouched over the water and started to clean herself. He noticed that the red cloak she normally wore was placed on the ground away from the water, neatly folded.

Beginning to feel a bit embarassed for staring at her like this, Max decided to make approach and make contact. He walked up to her, though she didn't seem to notice.

"Hi, Hor-"

His greeting was cut short, as the other bug yelped loudly, before quickly turning around, pulling on his feet, making him fall onto the floor and then pinning him down.

"Who are you and how did you get in here," she hissed, pressing down on his shoulders.

"Wait, Hornet, It's me. Please stop," Max coughed, breathless from the sudden impact with the floor.

The female bug's eyes widened and she lessened her grip on his shoulders.

"Max," she stated, "you're awake."

The hornet slowly nodded.

"And your changes have finished."

Another nod.

Hornet, eyes still widened, looked at him for a few moments, before her mask showed anger again.

"That still gives you no good reason to approach me this way. Have you no manners?"

She released her hold on the hornet and stood up, allowing him to do the same. Max took a few steps back, now feeling even more embarassed. For a few seconds, both of them just stood just stood there, looking at each other.

"Well," Hornet eventually demanded, "explain yourself."

"Look, I- I shouldn't have walked up to you like that, okay. I'm sorry, "Max stuttered.

"Indeed, you should be," said Hornet sternly, "know that if someone else did that, I'd not let them leave uninjured."

"Although," she continued, her expression and tone becoming friendlier, "it is good to see you awake and well."

"Thanks," responded Max, "It's good to see you too."

The moment he said that, he, for some reason, felt his mask heat up. Why had that sounded so awkward?

Thankfully, any further awkwardness was avoided, as a small Hiveling flew into the chamber.

"Mother ask me to get you," she said, before asking: "am interrupting something?"

"No, not at all," Max quickly responded, seeing the opportunity to get out of the situation, "come on, Hornet, the queen wants us to be present."

"You may go ahead," said the other bug, "I shall get myself robed and follow up soon."

"Okay, see you," called the hornet, before inwardly cursing himself. Why'd he said it like that? They were probably going to meet again in ten minutes at the most. Following the Hiveling out of the bathing chamber, he also remembered that there hadn't been a chance for him to actually get clean in the pool, but it didn't seem right to keep queen Vespa waiting, so he just hoped she wouldn't see the stains and promised himself to do it later.

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

For a few moments, Hornet stood staring at the doorway through which the now changed Max had left with the Hiveling. She felt strange. Of course there was that small bit of anger, not at him, of course, though sneaking up behind someone like that in such a place did show a lack of tact, but rather herself. She'd been distracted enough to not noticed him getting close.

Still, there was that strange thing she'd felt when first laying her eyes on Max's new from. Hornet didn't even know what to call it. It had been like a sudden warmth in her face. The next moment though, she'd begun chiding him and the feeling had dissipated.

She shook her head and headed to pick up her cloak. Queen Vespa was waiting and getting distracted by her thoughts just stalled her. Hornet unfolded the silken garment and proceeded to put it on. As she did so, she couldn't help but think of her companion's new appearance.

His changed body was something, to say the least. The agility and vicious appearance of a predator really showed with him, which made the hornets' relation with the friendly Hivelings a tad ironic. In the day and a half that Max had spent in the healing chambers, she'd taken a bit of time to read about the extinct tribe and, having actually seen one now, really found herself liking how they looked: the lines on his mask, the contrast between the yellow and black of his shell and the overall good build of his body.

He looked nice.

Maybe even slightly more than nice.

Suddenly, Hornet felt her face become warm again, this time much more than previously. What was it? She leaned over the edge of the pool to check if her reflection showed anything and was taken aback when she saw a weird reddish hue on the cheeks of her mask. Now the warrior was concerned. Had she caught some strange fever?

No, that couldn't have been the case. She knew that her relation to the Pale King should havemade it nearly impossible for her to get sick. So what was wrong with her face?  
Hornet shook her head again. Why was she getting so distracted all of a sudden? Right now, she had to hurry up. Feelings could be dealt with later. The warmth in her face had disappeared again anyway.

The warrior went through the doorway and started running down the corridor, her destination being one of the upwards tunnels that lead to the higher levels and the queen's throne room. Having reached the one closest to the bathing chamber, she quickly started climbing up its side. The Hive didn't have any stairs, since most of its occupants could fly.

She rushed through the upper halls, already trying to think of an apology for stalling. The Hive Soldiers curiously looked at her as she dashed towards the corridor leading to Vespa's body. Right at its entrance, she ran into Max and his little guide.

"Hey, Hornet, we were just waiting for you before going in," the hornet said, "are you okay? You were running pretty fast."

"I am fine," Hornet responded, panting, "though I apologize for making you wait."

"It's fine," Max spoke, "a few minutes aren't going to hurt anybody."

The three bugs started down the long corridor. Both Hornet and Max stayed completely quiet during the short walk while the Hiveling in front of them quietly hummed some kind of work tune. Eventually, they reached the walkway where Vespa's spectre already floated, waiting.

"Good day, Hornet. Greetings, Maxwell," she welcomed the two, then looked at the Hiveling, who nodded and turned to leave. While Hornet then simply bowed her head in greeting, to her surprise, Max lowered himself onto one knee.

"Well," the queen spoke, "this is certainly unexpected."

Max stood up, looking confused at his own action. "Sorry, queen Vespa, I don't know what came over me."

"Oh, you needn't apologize for something that you cannot control," said Vespa comfortingly, "I am fairly certain this isn't the first thing that you've noticed being differet about your mind."

Hornet was confused. What did she mean by that?

"No, not at all," Max said, his voice wavering, "I haven't even been awake for long and I already feel so _different_. When I woke up in the cocoon, I couldn't even remember being a human at first. I thought I'd always been a hornet."

"Please," Vespa comforted, "there's no need to be alarmed."

She floated closer to Max and Hornet. "This short loss of memory," she explained, "was an effect that was added by the Pale King into the mask's ancient magic, which created a barrier that temporarily stopped you from remembering being a human. Thankfully, it was weak enough for you to overcome yourself."

She paused a little looking straight at the changed hyu-man, saying: "The magic from the mask didn't only change your body, but your mind as well, which is why you might have found yourself thinking of some things _differently _than before."

Max chuckled slightly, looking aside. "Yeah, I think I've noticed that already," he muttered.

"Really," Vespa, with a surprisingly interested tone, asked, "Whatever do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing much," Max quickly responded, his tone suddenly uneasy for some reason, "you and your children have just seemed much more familiar to me and also I, uh, thought of hunting live prey."

He seemed to recoil slightly as he said it. Hornet didn't understand why. To her, catching prey was natural. Did his previous kin keep livestock like Hallownest's bugs? Strangely enough though, as he had been speaking, she thought she noticed that Max's cheeks seemed to have gained a red hue similar to the one she'd had before.

"There's something I don't understand though," Max then said, snapping Hornet out of her thoughts.

"I shall attempt to answer any questions you may have, "Vespa responded.

"Well," he began, "If the mask was made by the Pale King then why did it turn me into a hornet? He clearly hates my kin and even had me thrown into the dungeons with Hornet. What went wrong?"

"That is a question my healers and I have had ever since you were placed in one of their cocoons," Vespa answered, "it is truly puzzling, but it seems as though the hornet that you now are came from, well, you. It seems as if something had laid dormant within you and the presence of a mask awakened it. This strange force also seemed to have protected you from the worst of the Pale King's magic."

Max gasped loudly and Hornet's eyes widened with surprise.

"What," the male bug exclaimed, "how is that possible?"

"That is something that we wish to figure out," the Hiveling responded, "this was either a rouge piece of magic that attached itself to you when you entered Hallownest or something that has stayed hidden within you for a much longer time."

"But _humans_ don't have magic," said Max, "At least I think they don't."

Vespa let out a small laugh. "Altough I understand where you are coming from, given the society your previous tribe lived in," she spoke, "I must tell you that every living being has magical potential, however small it may be. The magic of the _humans_ seems to have simply laid dormant for a long time."

"Whoa. So you're saying that _humans_ can use magic," the hornet asked, his face full of awe.

The Hiveling queen just nodded, smiling.

"Wait," Max said, seemingly to realizing something, "how do you know of how humans live? I never told you about that."

That made Vespa look slightly apprehensive.

"I shall tell you," she said, "but I ask that you do not get angry with me because of it."

She sighed.

"While you were in your artificial slumber I used my spectral nature and knowledge of magic to enter your mind and view your memories. I did so to try and find the reason for your transformation into a hornet and ease some of the stress caused by it."

Max's eyes narrowed slightly. "So you went into my head," he asked, a bit of sharpness in his tone.

"Yes," Vespa responded, hanging her head, "but please understand that I did so only to observe and help you. Unlike the Pale King, I would never seek to influence someone's thoughts and memories against their will."

"Okay," Max said, "I think I understand. But what did you mean when you said that it was 'unlike the king'? What was he going to do?"

"Something that your fellow _humans_ sadly weren't able to avoid," the queen spoke, "since they did not have the hornet's magic protecting them, the full influences of both the mask and the king made themselves present. They appear to have been made into subjects fitting into the Wyrm's twisted vision."

She then looked at Hornet and motioned for her to come forward.

"Yesterday, while you were changing, Hornet managed to convinve me into letting her survey the caves on the condition that she stayed completely hidden."

The warrior nodded, before starting: "Ye-"

"Sorry, one more question," Max cut in, "how long was I asleep?"

"A day and a half," Hornet responded, annoyed, before continuing: "Now, as I was about to say, yesterday, after managing to get queen Vespa to understand that I am perfectly capable of managing myself, even without a weapon, I set off to look around the borders of Hallownest."

With that, Hornet started telling about the things she had seen the previous evening.

* * *

After she'd been talked into only leaving in the early evening and even then ensuring Vespa at least five times that she would be fine, the warrior had set off. Still, in order to make sure she wouldn't be seen, Hornet had exited the Hive from the top and started climbing up the caves east of the kingdom's wall. During the short journey through the ash-lit caves, the aspids, who had been local pests even before the Infection, had taken notice of her and started attacking in small groups. Vespa had warned that now the beasts' minds weren't impaired anymore, making them a serious threat to all intelligent bugs again.

Luckily, Hornet had managed to dodge their acidic spit and had made it to a high, but small ledge of the ravine that separated the walls and the wilderness beyond. A good leap later, she had made it to the old capital's side. That's where she had needed to use caution though, since there'd been small groups of sentries guarding their city's borders. Her goal had been to reach a tunnel that lead above the city.

Before she could make her way to one, Hornet had heard a lot of movement coming from a lower level of the chasm that she remembered as having a bridge connecting it to the city. She had decided to see what was happening and had gotten low to the ground, peeking down.

The first thing she had noticed was that the stone bridge appeared to have somehow collapsed, with only the edges of the narrow walkway left standing. Built over the remains of the old had been a new one made out of shellwood and rope. It had looked incredibly shoddy, having probably been built with a minimal amount of time. Appearing on the side opposite to the wall, had been a numerous amount of sentries escorting what appeared to be about ten figures.

Even though she had been quite a distance away, it had been clear that the creatures weren't bugs. Instead, with their bodies being mostly covered by visible clothing, the light colour of their shells that she believed were as soft as Max's and their much different build, Hornet had deducted that they were other hyu-mans, forcefully brought there from their village.

The sentries surrounding the hyu-mans had then started forcing them to cross the rope bridge. While they had been doing so, the soldiers with wings had hovered in the air, attentively looking around. Despite wishing to liberate Max's fellow kin, Hornet had had to keep moving. Even with a needle, she would not have been able to take on all of the guards.

Passing through the dark caverns above the city, she had eventually reached the Blue Lake and, instead of swimming across, had decided to go around. Her journey through the Crossroads that once housed the commonfolk of Hallownest had been eventless at first. When she'd decided to go and have a look at the well to Dirtmouth, Hornet had seen something interesting.

Before even reaching the hall where the well's bottom was, she had heard the sounds of hammers. When she'd peeked into the large corridor, Hornet had seen that three bugs working at the bottom of the upright passage with a lone sentrybug guarding them. Two of them had been pill bugs and the third she had recognized as a member of the Menderbugs' Guild. They'd appeared to be building a wooden staircase up the well. Her curiosity having been sated, Hornet had then headed back down, intent on seeing the Fungal Wastes and how the Mantis tribe was faring, since her mother and, by extention, she had had fairly good relations with them.

Hornet had used a secret passage in the Crossroads and dropped straight into the foggy caves. While making her way past the large archive, she'd noticed a light in one of its windows, meaning that someone, likely Monomon's student who she'd met the night before the appearance of _him_, had already become active in there.

Right as she had passed the doorway of the giant structure, Hornet had heard quickly approaching footsteps, prompting her to hide in the surrounding thick bushes. The bug that had then run into the fog-filled cave was of a species she hadn't seen before. On closer inspection though, they had appeared to be a slim male beetle. What'd been unusual, was the vibrant colour of his shell. Hornet hadn't even been able to understand if it had been blue or green. Aside from his unusual hue, the bug had had a usual looking rounded mask. He'd also been carrying a brown satchel.

Despite the strange shell colour of the bug, Hornet had recognized the bag as one that the messengers of Hallownest used to carry. Running past her hiding spot, he had stopped in front of the archive's entrace, catching his breath, before running through the doorway and out of sight.

Hornet had then continued towards the wastes, planning on reaching it through Queen's Station. Of course, she'd needed to use caution, since it had been more than likely that the place was guarded. Because of this, to get to the other side, she'd crawled into narrow pipe just large enough to fit her situated near the western entrance. The pipe had once been part of the ventilation system, though with the mechanisms that made air move gone, it'd become the perfect passage for anyone who wanted to move unseen. It also meant that, every once in a while, the wall on one side would have a grated panel, giving a view of the station's main hall.

Making her way through, Hornet had been surprised at how many sentries she could see in the larger space. There'd been at least thirty present. There had even been some of the king's constructs standing by the walls. Having gotten a feeling that something was going on, Hornet had hastened her pace, eventually reaching the other end of the pipe and dropping out.

Navigating around the acid pools, it had immediately been clear to her that something was wrong. Aside from the bubbling of the dangerous liquid, there usually were many more sounds audible in the shroom-filled caves: the hissing caused by the fungoons and their young moving around with their gas, the scurrying of amblooms and shrumelings and distant blasts of the sporgs' spores, which they used in their explosive method of catching prey.

Now though, it had been silent. Hornet had began running down to the Mantises' village, using hidden shortcuts to be faster and to remain unseen in case there was a stray group of sentries. In one cave, she'd stopped for a moment to catch her breath. As she had done so, she had gotten the feeling that someone was watching her. Carefully looking around, she'd noticed quite a lot of the Fungal Tribe's folk, now free of the Infection, hiding behind larger rocks and in the darker corners of the cavern, huddled together.

As she'd looked straight at a few behind a rock too small to conceal all of them, they'd shrunk even further together, shivering and whispering in their language. Hornet hadn't been able to understand what they were saying, since no bug who didn't carry a special charm could, but it had been clear that they were very scared.

Hornet had continued her path, disturbed by the fear she'd seen the Shrumals in. She'd had to reach the Mantises as quickly as possible. At the main entrance, she'd at first thought to barge into the village right away, but had noticed that there weren't any of the tribe's members guarding it. Deciding to try a stealthier approach, she had made her way to a small hatch that also lead into their territory.

Just after dropping down, Hornet had already heard voices and they hadn't been the accented ones of the Mantises. She'd quickly gotten low on one of the raised platforms of the village and looked down. The first thing she'd seen were the six sentries standing guard and talking to one another. Though right after that, she'd noticed who they'd been guarding. At the Hallownesters' feet had been laying many of the Mantises, tied down with ropes, battered and seemingly unable to move. None of them had even been struggling or trying to say anything so it'd been safe to say that they'd laid there for some time. Most of them had appeared to be the hatchlings and the youths of the tribe.

Looking around, trying to spot the adults, Hornet had caught whiff of a foul scent. Right after, eyes had been caught by a large ditch that appeared to be freshly dug into the muddy ground by the side of the village's center. Quickly repositioning herself right over the hole, she had looked in it and-

* * *

Hornet stopped speaking. She just couldn't bring herself recount it. Killing was part of her life, since she was a predator and predators had to catch weaker prey. That was how the balance of nature worked. She also fought for honor, in the name of her family and to protect the ruins of Hallownest from evildoers. She knew that sometimes, when the tribes fought, many bugs would die. But what she'd seen in that hole wasn't natural, honourable or anywhere near good.

Hornet hung her head solemnly.

"I can't go on. After seeing that, I quickly came back to the Hive anyway," she muttered.

"Wait, are you saying that in there-, they-," Max started to ask, before realization hit his face and he couldn't do anything but stare, abashed.

"Most of the village's adults were in there, yes," said Vespa, her tone serious, "they had likely resisted too much and were used as examples."

"That is just," the hornet seemed to be at a loss for words, "_sick_!"

"Truly, you are right, Max," the queen began, "and it is not all either. My scouts have informed me that the Mosskin who inhabit the lush caves where my workers travel to collect nectar have been occupied as well, fortunately with less casualties, same with the edges of Deepnest."

She turned her head towards Hornet, a sympathetic look in her eyes, before continuing: "Aside from the invasions, I've also no doubt that some of the bugs Hornet encountered yesterday, especially the strangely colored beetle, were once _humans_. I hope you can understand that this gives us all the more reason to conspire against the Wyrm."

"What d'you mean," Max asked, "What is there to do?"

"I am afraid," the queen responded, "that the only way of overcoming this threat is gathering any members of the tribes still free and going to war with the forces of Hallownest."

"I agree," said Hornet. She really did, too. Of course, bringing the tribal bugs together would likely prove to be difficult, but with Vespa's skill in diplomacy, their chances were beginning to look better.

"I just, I- I think I need a minute," Max stuttered, turning to stare at the large hall beside the walkway. The queen nodded and fell silent as well. Hornet couldn't have blamed him for wanting a break. This was a difficult topic, even more so for him. He must have had a lot on his mind. She racked her head too, thinking of the ways to fight against this threat. She would have to get a new weapon, of course, and train herself to be stronger against the king's constructs. The sentries, though mildly skilled in battle, usually got the upper hand by surrounding their targets and that was something that she wouldn't allow herself to fall for. Despite this, a battle plan would also be neccessary.

Still, Hornet found herself thinking about Max. How would he fare? From what she understood, the male didn't have almost any skill in fighting. These upcoming times of struggle would likely be too much for him. Despite her willingness to do so if needed, it was likely going to be impossible for her to always be there to protect him. Hornet knew how to fight, both with and without a blade in her hands, meaning that she could teach to do so as well.

That was it, she'd made up her mind.

"Max," she said, making him turn back around and look at her.

"I know the road ahead may seem difficult to you," she continued, "but know that I-, we're going to be here to make sure you don't have to face it unprepared."

"Thanks, I guess," the hornet responded, "what exactly do you mean by that?

"Yes, I would like to know as well," queen Vespa added.

"I am going to train you to fight, Max, so you could live up to the name of your new tribe and rescue your old one," Hornet declared.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

"What," Max exclaimed.

"Oh, Hornet, that is a fantastic idea," said Vespa, putting her hands together.

Max turned towards her, asking: "Wait, you approve of this?"

Had she really just meant that? The talks of war a few moments ago had already been unnerving, yet actually fighting in one seemed to be on a whole different level. But was it though? The more he worked his mind over it though, the more it made sense to him. He wanted to contribute, help the queen and Hornet with fighting against the creature that had caused suffering for not only him and the residents of Elsewhere, but many other bugs as well.

"I honestly see no problem with it," the queen responded, "Max, you are a hornet and hornets fight. I know you might feel slightly apprehensive towards it, but sooner or later, we shall all have to face the forces of the Pale King."

"No, it's fine," said Max, "I don't know if it's my new side acting up again, but I want to do this. I want to learn how to help"

"You do," Hornet perked up, surprisingly happy at the answer, "that's great. Shall we begin, then?"

"Wait a second, right here?" Max was suddenly having second thoughts.

"Of course," she said, "this is a good, wide area and there's no reason to postpone."

The warrior then looked at the queen, saying: "Assuming that you allow us to, queen Vespa."

"As you said, Hornet," she responded, "it is better to start right away. Altough, I must ask both of you to try and not toss one other off the bridge. This is still just an exercise."

"Understood," said Hornet, before lowering her stance and looking at Max, who still felt hesitant about the whole thing and it must've showed.

"Max, you don't need to worry, I will go easy on you for this one. Now, ready yourself!"

"But what if I hurt you," the hornet asked.

Hornet rolled her eyes. "That is the point of fighting," she insisted, "my shell is strong and I am able to withstand pain. I'd worry more about you. Now ready up!"

Okay, they were really doing this.

Hornet shot forward and went for a strike from with her left hand, making Max bring up his right to try and block it. The blow was quite powerful, making him step back. Interestingly however, altough he definetly felt the pain, it wasn't as intense as he thought it would be. Instead, it gave him a rush of adrenaline and something else. It suddenly felt as if his left hand was moving on its own, punching forward.

Hornet blocked the attack and hastily countered it with another one, which managed to connect with his midsection and forced him to step backwards again. Finding himself unwilling to give up any more ground, the hornet went on the offensive, blocking two more punches, all while slowly stepping forward.

As he tried to hit the opponent himself, she dodged downwards and kicked one of his legs, making him fall backwards. It wasn't over though, as before she could pounce on him, he rolled to the side. Still, the hornet couldn't get back on his feet, as the female recovered quickly and finally pinned him to the ground, getting on top.

"That wasn't the worst I've seen," she said, smirking, "your instincts shall be a great asset."

"Thanks," Max responded, his wheezing much more loud, "that was surprisingly fun."

A moment later, he noticed the rather compromising position they were in.

"Could you, um, get off me now," he asked, feeling his face become warm.

It seemed to take Hornet a few seconds to understand what he meant, when she did so however, her bedy recoiled back.

"Of course, sorry about that," she said, standing up and allowing Max to do the same. As he was pushing himself to his feet, he noticed a slight pinkish hue on her mask.

He didn't have much time to think about it though, since queen Vespa approached the two.

"Max, I have to say that for your first fight, that was actually very good," she congratulated, "especially against an opponent like Hornet."

"Well," the warrior commented, "as I said: I was holding back."

"Yeah," Max added, "and to be honest, I had no Idea of what I was doing for most of the fight. It was like my body moved on its own."

"That is understandable," Vespa replied, "it was simply the innate skills that all hornets shared. In time, you'll train enough to be able to use your skills in tandem with your instincts."

"I promise to train you until you become my equal," Hornet said, looking directly at him, " and also to teach you the mannerisms fitting for a warrior."

Max could only nod. He knew that if someone had told him about becoming a warrior back when he was human, he'd have turned the other way and walked out, but now it truly felt like something he wanted. Plus, even though he found it strange, he really liked being around Hornet now. Maybe when it came to actual battle, they'd be able to fight as partners.

"Sadly," the queen said, "I must ask for you to leave for now. I wish to start assigning my scouts to try and contact any tribal bugs who may still be free. Though, if you wish, you may continue your training in another chamber. Just make sure it doesn't bother any of my daughters."

"As you wish, queen Vespa," Hornet responded, before turning around and starting to make her way into the corridor.

"Follow me, Max," she called, "I know a chamber that used to be fairly empty. We can continue there."

"Got it, right behind you," the hornet answered, running after her with a smile.

Despite the scary talks of war and the looming threat of the Pale King, he at least had her to help him get through it.

* * *

**Isn't getting your brain rewritten to comprehend an entirely new set of attractive traits just wonderful? ****( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the direction the story is taking. Next up, we're going back to the humans.**

**Also, if it's not clear yet, I try to upload every other week.**

**R&R**


	11. Chapter 9: Approach

Chapter 9: Approach

**Just a heads up that this chapter contains an animal being hunted for meat.**

* * *

**ADRIAN**

* * *

The Arizona desert was hot. That was a problem that both Adrian and the general ran into fairly quickly. Luckily, for some time, the problem was mitigated by Juss, who happened to have a flask filled with water in one of his pouches. He'd offered some to Adrian as well, whose condition was worsened by the fact that he didn't have any sort of headwear.

"If you want, I can knock you out and carry you for a while," Juss had offered him after at least an hour of non-stop walking.

"Nah, I can handle it," Adrian had refused, "I've lived in this desert for most of my life."

As they continued on, both mostly silent, the Sun's rays seemed to became a bit more bearable., no longer baking the from right above. Even though he wasn't in conversation with him any more, Adrian still couldn't fully believe the things that the general had said. All the stuff about hidden worlds of the unknown, secret organizations and other crazyness just seemed so, well, crazy. The only thing that made those things seem kind of believable was just how unfazed he had been at the creatures in Elsewhere.

Another thing that worried him was the place they were headed to. According to the general, the figures, who he said weren't aliens, came from somewhere in the mountains, which was also where Max and the others were taken. To his knowledge, there wasn't anything on them, so that meant the creatures had to come from somewhere _inside_ of them. The fact that they were going to the place they came from probably meant meeting more soon too.

Thankfully, over time, the mountains started to appear bigger. This, coupled with the Sun finally starting to lower and not torching them as much anymore, encouraged Adrian to try and converse with his strange companion again.

"So," he started, "this _supernatural _stuff you talked about before, what's it like having to deal with it?"

"Honestly," the general answered, "best thing you could have in my position is connections. People who know what they're doing and are willing to help.

"So these people. All around the world, I'm guessing," Adrian stated.

"The world isn't as small as you think," Juss replied.

"Okay, I guess," the resident of Elsewhere said, before deciding to change the subject, asking: "Hey, I don't watch a lot of news anymore, but some of the things I've heard them say sound pretty rough. Things really aren't that bad, right?"

Juss looked back at him, looking much more serious than before.

"It's bad, if not worse. All sorts of hell's going on back in Europe. Russia's likely going to have the radicals win the war and-"

He stopped himself.

"I shouldn't tell you these things."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to pry," apologised Adrian.

"You don't need to be," the general replied, "you should be happy that you don't know the things that're happening right now. Hell, we're in the middle of the desert heading who knows where. They don't even matter right now."

He then let out a small chuckle. "You know, the mess that is home is just why I decided to come here," he pointed back at Elsewhere, "myself. Shooting creatures in the middle of nowhere is basically a vacation for me."

* * *

Both of them stayed silent after that, sometimes taking a sip from the flask when the heat started getting hard to bear. The mountains soon loomed ahead and the ground was beginning to become rockier, with the Sun beginning to touch the top of the cliffs as well. Even though they appeared to be alone, Juss said that they should try and keep silent, since the creatures could have had guards on the ledges of the cliff. They both then hastened their pace, intent on reaching the shade given by the mountain.

Adrian blinked his eyes, which weren't blinded by the Sun's white rays anymore. He then looked up at the cliffs ahead of them. At first, he only made out the sandy color of the stones, made much darker by the shadow cast by the mountain. A moment later however, he noticed what appeared to be a farily strong pale glow from one of the lower ledges of the slope.

"Get to cover," the general shouted with a stage whisper, diving prone into a narrow depression in the ground. Not seeing anything else to get behind, Adrian followed him.

"Alright, you stay low while I try to see what exactly we're dealing with," Juss quietly said, at which Adrian nodded. The general then took the gas mask from his belt and put it onto his face, followed by a barely audible mechanic whirr. From his position behind him, Adrian then saw his companion grab hold of the metal rings that held the lenses and slowly rotated both of them.

"Hmm," the general murmured, intently observing the slope, "There's at least two figures with their backs turned and another of our armored friends."

He twisted the lens holders again and the got up into a crouch.

"We're getting closer. Stay right behind me," he whispered as he started to make his way towards the slope. Adrian nodded and got up as well. With Juss in the lead, they started to approach from the right side, both making sure not to stand up at full height. The uneven and rocky ground became a slight obstacle here.

"Why don't we go from over there," Adrian whispered, pointing at a small footpath at the other side of the ledge they were moving to.

"It's going to be watched," Juss responded, "and we don't want to run into anyone who might be coming down."

They started climbing up the slope, slowed by trying to be as quiet as possible. As they started to reach the lit up ledge, both men heard what seemed to be speech coming from it. Moving closer, they started to make out at least two voices talking in a language that Adrian couldn't understand and had never even heard before. Juss motioned for him to stop and approached the ledge alone, carefully peeking over the side. From what the other man could hear, at least one of the speakers was female and, judging from the tone, upset.

This conversation went on for some time. Adrian could do nothing but lay in cover, starting to feel the exertion from their walk through the desert make itself present, while the general crouched right beside the ledge, intently observing what was happening on the ledge. Finally, after quite some time, the speaking quieted down and there were footsteps going somewhere, disappearing fairly quickly.

For a while after that, nothing happened. When he looked up at Juss, the general just motioned for him to remain quiet and not to move. Deciding that if they were going to wait, he could have a small rest, Adrian got into a slightly more comfortable position, which wasn't much because of the rocky ground.

Suddenly, Juss appeared beside him, giving him a slight spook with the mask.

"You still awake," he asked.

"Kind of was, definetly am now," Adrian answered.

The general just motioned for him to climb up to a spot directly under the ledge. Having gotten there, they both peeked over. Carefully looking at the fairly large bit of flat ground at the side of the mountain, Adrian first noticed the source of the light: a weirdly medieval looking lamp post that was stuck into the ground. What caught his eye the most however, were the creatures standing guard. Aside from one of the things from Elsewhere, there was also a shorter figure holding a sword, though it was far from human.

Its face was mostly covered by a large, metallic helmet that had a small horn on top. The rest of its body looked strangely segmented, with its jet black arms and legs fairly thin. Actually, now that Adrian thought about it, the creature looked a lot like a bug. A sword-wielding, two-legged, armored bug.

He must have looked at the guard for longer than needed, because Juss touched his shoulder and then pointed to the small cave entrance that was behind it. Adrian looked at him questioningly, to which he quietly whispered: "We're going in there. Wait for my mark and then, _quietly_, run into that cave."

"Alright, got it," Adrian replied, "anything else?"

"Does it seem like there's anything else?"

Not even waiting for an answer, the soldier then started to silently climb up the cliff, getting higher than the ledge. Meanwhile, Adrian readied himself for whatever was going to happen next, shooting glimpses at the man on the mountain's side. From what he could then see, Juss grapped onto a jutting piece of sandstone and broke it off. He then threw it down behind the opposite side of the ledge.

Immediately, both guards noticed it, the shorter one saying something Adrian couldn't understand. Both of them went to the side of the ledge to check what it was and turned their backs towards him and the cave entrance. This was his chance!

Despite feeling even more tired by then, he managed to spring up and sprint to the man-sized opening. Once inside, he rushed forwards, since there was still a chance that he would be noticed. A few seconds of running later though, he stopped to catch his breath and wait for Juss.

* * *

He waited for what had to be at least few minutes, but nothing happened. The general didn't come. Starting to grow a bit worried, Adrian decided that it would be safer if he started moving. He began walking through the dark cave again, holding onto the wall with one hand so he wouldn't stumble. The lack of any light made it hard to make much of anything out, though with a fairly good sense of direction, the man just made it his goal to move deeper into the mountain. It was much colder in the cave than outside, but that didn't bother Adrian. He'd spent nights camping in the desert so a bit of chilliness didn't matter.

Grasping at the wall in the darkness, he soon came to what seemed like an opening to another cave. As he stepped through it however, his foot caught onto the raised step, causing him to yelp, stumble and fall forwards into the bigger tunnel.

Thankfully, the fall only hurt his pride and nothing else. Before managing to pull himself back up however, he noticed two lit-up red circles floating in the darkness right behind him. Frightened, Adrian tried to crawl backwards, but stopped when he heard a familiar, slightly distorted voice: "Please stop that. You're embarassing yourself."

"Juss," Adrian said, relieved, "were you behind me this whole time?"

"Perhaps. Now get up."

He saw the red circles move closer and then felt a firm grasp on his arm, pulling him to his feet.

"Wait a moment," the general's voice said, before a shuffle came from its direction. The next moment, there was a metal clink and a small flame appeared in the darkness. It was coming out of a metal lighter and, though small, provided enough light for him to partly see his companion.

"Take it," said Juss, handing the small metal rectangle to Adrian, who gladly accepted it.

"Don't worry about it running out," the masked man spoke, "I just filled it a few days ago."

He then started walking deeper into the cave. Adrian, holding up the lighter, jogged after him.

"Hey, wait," he began, "how can you see in this dark?"

"The mask's got night vision," Juss said, "now stop running. You don't want to run into anyone, do you?"

"Huh," Adrian said, "what other nifty things you got in that mask?"

"I'm not even sure," the general answered, "I usually keep the HUD in minimal mode to keep any sort of annoying popups from blocking my view. I usually only use basics like binoculars or night vision, since I don't need much else anyway."

"Ah, understood," Adrian spoke, nodding, before asking: "So what's the plan when we reach the end of this cave?"

"Corridor," Juss corrected, before explaining: "You can't see it, but the tunnel is clearly artificial. As for our next move, we're going to find a concealed spot that we can properly rest in so you don't die of exhaustion."

"Hey, I'm good," Adrian said, "I can keep going."

"You just walked through a desert," the general stated, "Besides, finding a good place to hide is always top priority."

"Alright, alright," the man agreed. They both fell silent again, walking through the dark. Every once in a while, Adrian could hear a small scurry come from the darkness. A few times, he tried pointing the lighter towards where they was coming from, but it never gave enough light to properly see. Deciding not to waste time, he just started to ignore the sounds.

Like the general had said, the tunnel they were in appeared to be man-made, or at least built by the bug-things he'd seen outside. The stones on the ground felt evenly placed when he stepped on them and the corridor itself seemed to stay the same width. It also didn't take long to notice that it was heading downwards at a steady and gentle pace. The rock surrounding them was a much different colour than the sandstone outside, also appearing much harder.

Still, even with their slow pace, Adrian found himself tired and hoped that whatever they were heading towards, they'd reach it soon. Thankfully, not too long after that, he could see a light at the distance. Juss extended his arm, signaling for him to stop.

"We've got to lay low now," he said, "get against the wall and turn the lighter off."

Trusting the other man's judgement, Adrian did just that, putting the small metal box in his pants' pocket. They both started carefully stepping towards the not-so-distant light. Soon, they could both see an archway that lead out of the tunnel and into another cave. Juss motioned for him to wait beside the opening, while he himself got into a crouch and snuck to the other side. A few moments later, he whispered for Adrian to follow.

The archway lead to a ledge on the side of a massive underground ravine. It baffled Adrian that something like this was just a few hours walk away from Elsewhere, even less with a car. Something that amazed him even more though, was the way the giant cave was lit. Through the air, there was a seemingly endless amount of glowing leaf-like flakes falling downwards.

The man didn't let himself be distracted by the sight for long, looking at Juss who pointed forwards. A few feet from their hiding spots, he saw a rope bridge that connected their side to the other one. On the opposite ledge, there also was another of the bug-like creatures standing guard. Well, he wasn't really standing, more leaning against a wall with his head hung.

"Okay, we're going to move upwards," the general spoke, pointing to a narrow road in the cliff beside the ledge.

"Why up," Adrian asked, cautiously eyeing the tiny path.

"Just trust me on this," said Juss, "If you're worried about him," he pointed towards the sleeping guard, "then it doesn't seem that he'll wake up soon."

He started to edge his way along the footpath and Adrian had no choice but to follow. Knowing how bad of an idea looking down would be, he instead looked around. He noticed that parts of the cave wall on the other side seemed to not be natural, but built to be, well, an actual wall. He also saw that, hovering above them, were various creatures, all looking a lot like oversized bugs. Fortunately, he didn't notice any that looked like the beast that had attacked Max days earlier.

That didn't mean that they were all unthreatening though. Some of the smaller ones that were grouped together by the wall had strange mask-like heads with horns on their sides and smooth orange sacks below their bodies.. As the two humans ascended through the ravine, getting close to a higher ledge, one of the insects seemed to saw them and the buzzing of its wings became more intense and angrier.

This didn't go unnoticed by Juss who muttered some sort of curse that Adrian couldn't understand and hastened his pace.

"Move," he exclaimed, "I'm pretty sure those things are predators!"

Sure enough, the creature let out a screech, alerting the other ones of the humans below, before shooting off towards them. Adrian gasped and basically climbed onto the ledge they were heading onto. Panting, he then followed after Juss into another cave, this one lit up like the ravine. They rushed past pools of green, bubbling _something_ and from the buzzing coming from behind them, it was clear that they were being pursued by the insects.

As Adrian haphazardly ran, still panting, something shot past his head, almost hitting him. A quick glance forward showed a darkened, steaming spot on the ground in front of him.

Juss who had looked back yelled: "Oh great, they spit acid!"

Despite his tiredness, this livened Adrian considerably, making him almost catch up to the military-trained man in front of him. After going around a large hole in the ground that seemed to lead into another cave however, they came to a very steep rock wall. Looking up, both saw a narrow vertical cave leading somewhere.

"What do we do," Adrian shouted, looking back to see the agressive bugs getting closer.

"You climb," Juss said, his hands going towards the sword handle, "try to get up. As high as possible. I'll hold them off."

He unsheathed the large blade and got between the insects and Adrian who grabbed onto the uneven rock wall and started to slowly make his way up. Behind him, he could hear hissing, Juss's shouts and the sound of the sword clashing with something. When he was about half way up the steep cliff, one of the monsters' globs of acid _spit_ almost hit him again, only missing by a few inches. Still, he managed to heave himself up to the upper ledge, where there were two tunnels, one leading into a cave that he decided not to enter, since he could spot at least two more creatures. The other way was another climb upwards, which he decided to take, since that was what the general had insisted on him doing.

* * *

Even though this ledge wasn't as high as the previous one, when Adrian finally made it on top, he just collapsed onto the cold ground, panting heavily. After what had to be at least a minute of just laying there, eyes closed, he finally decided to stand and have look around. Having gotten up, he saw that he was in a large, circular tent. There were multiple ropes and metal poles holding up a single long piece of tattered material that covered the entire area and was likely skin. Looking through the tears in it, he saw a massive cavern outside. The ground was covered in probably thousands of the white flakes he'd seen falling in the ravine, making it look as if snow had fallen.

On the other side of the tent from him, Adrian saw something more morbid. Beside a stone bench laid two unmoving bodies. Their builds looked very similar to the bug-like guards that he'd snuck past before, having a distinctly bipedal look. They weren't armored though, their faces instead being covered by white masks that had a somewhat eerie vibe to them. From the white stuff that had fallen on top of them from the holes in the tent however, it was quite safe to say that they were long dead.

Adrian walked over to the stone bench and sat down. Despite the material it was made out of, the seat was surprisingly comfortable, almost unnaturally so. The sound of something approaching drew his eyes to the hole that he climbed out of. A moment later, Juss jumped into the tent. His coat was stained by with orange.

"Well, that was fun," the masked man commented, sarcasm evident in his tone.

"You kill them," Adrian asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just one actually," Juss responded, "the others were scared off."

He paused and looked around the tent.

"Quite an interesting place you've found yourself," he said, "good place for a camp."

"Heh, I guess you're right," Adrian replied, so, we staying here?"

"For now, yes," the general replied, before walking over to Adrian and sitting down beside him.

There was silence for a few seconds. Then, Juss stood up again.

"I'm going to look around some more. You stay here," he spoke, "I''ll also try to find something edible for us."

As he said that, Adrian realised that he actually was hungry, having previously eaten at Timothy's apartment in the morning.

"Okay," he said, "you do that."

Suddenly, something else came up in his mind.

"What if those bugs come back?"

"They shouldn't," said Juss, opening a small pouch on his belt, "but just in case, I'll give you this. You can keep the lighter too."

He reached into the pouch and pulled out a very short knife with a polished wooden handle, which was double the length of the blade.

"Here," he said, handing it to Adrian.

The latter accepted it, saying: "Thank you. I don't think it would be very effective against those things, but a knife's a knife. What do you use it for, anyway?"

"Picking mushrooms," Juss plainly answered, walking towards the hole in the ground.

"Rest and enjoy the view, but stay put," he said, before climbing back down the hole.

Adrian just sat there, examining the knife he'd been given. What had to be a few minutes later, he slipped it into his pocket, deciding to lay down on the bench. Only a few seconds after doing that, he was out like a light.

* * *

**GENERAL JUSS**

* * *

Making it down the ledges was an easy task, made even simpler by the texture of the stones giving them many spots to grab on to. The caves he was going down truly were something to behold and it was really something that, even after all these years, he'd see a place so _peculiar_. It was a real convenience that the caverns were lit so well. Of course, when he had the chance, he'd snatch some of the glowing flakes that were falling and examine them closer.

Lembit decided that for now, he'd explore the upper side of the main ravine and some of its surrounding tunnels. Going down would be something that he would undoubtedly have to do later though. Hopefully, those acid spitting bugs wouldn't bother him for now and there didn't seem to be any left around the tent Adrian had stayed in. Something that was a threat however, were the guards stationed on the other side of the ravine. Aside from the one sleeping, he'd also noticed two more on a ledge a bit higher than the cave that the insects had chased the two humans into.

The man walked through the cave, taking care not to step into the streams of green, hazardous-looking liquid. Though this cavern was much smaller than the main chasm, it was still considerably high. Deciding to look this one over before heading to the larger ravine, Lembit started climbing up the side.

He passed a ledge that had another way leading to the main ravine and headed even further. When he eventually reached the top of the cave, having taken a detour to a smaller one that held a strange, blue cocoon, he was greeted with a massive creature who appeared to be sleeping. Its body was light gray and resembled that of a grub or caterpillar, while its face continued the pattern of mask-like faces that he'd seen on the female bug at the side of the mountain, the acid-spitters and also some of the other insects he'd noticed floating in the chasm.

He looked at the big caterpillar for a few moments, before deciding not to disturb it and heading back down. He wouldn't have been able to understand it anyway. Yes, the language gap between him and the sapient bugs was going to be a problem. It was very likely that they didn't use any alphabet that he was able to read either.

* * *

On his way down, he narrowly avoided another group of those predatory bugs that had chased him and his companion before. Right before reaching the tent, he'd disposed of one with ease, though he had kind of _cheated_ when it came to scaring away the other two. Still, if he was going to be in these caves for some time then they were likely going to be quite bothersome, even more with Adrian around. Granted, the man was quite capable, having probably spent most of his days in a desert town and not even complaining once during their journey here, but he still didn't have the right skillset, which mostly made him a liability.

Standing on a ledge, Lembit sighed through his mask. The best use for Adrian was likely going to be bait when they eventually headed down the chasm and to where he _felt_ the agressive energy coming from. At least if he was captured, he'd hopefully be reunited with his missing nephew. Family was important.

Lembit peered down towards the bottom of the ravine, where he could see a narrow river of greenish water, before turning his attention to the level he was on. From where he was, he could spot a group of two guards, so he took cover, still eyeing the opposite side. From the pieces of the cave wall that had clearly been artificially constructed, it was clear that the bugs were protecting the border of something.

And he was going to find out what.

Over the next half an hour or so, doing his best to stay concealed, Lembit explored the top of the chasm and the its small side caves. In one spot in its ceiling, he saw a large hatch, which was yet another thing he was going to look at later. Also, inside the piles of glowing flakes, he noticed a number of armored corpses, who, on closer inspection, seemed to have been killed in battle.

If he was by himself, he'd likely have moved much faster, but he also had to keep Adrian in mind. Even though it slowed him down at times, keeping civilians safe was still one of the most important aspects of what he did. Besides, taking it slow gave him time to ponder.

Climbing down yet another ledge, the man chuckled to himself. The things he'd told mister Reed about his and his organization's more secret activities had actually been very shallow. Yes, he did have lots of connections, but that was just the start of it. Honestly, he would have gladly conversed about those topics, since things in _that_ area were going much more positievly than in global politics, but the problem there was that with magic and the secret societies of Earth and beyond, everything was so interconnected that it was almost impossible to speak without accidentally mentioning something that definetly wasn'tfor everybody to hear. For now at least.

Sadly, once he rescued the other Americans, there was going to be the issue of having them be quiet. Lembit didn't like coverups, not at all, but pressure from other influential organizations made it impossible to simply let people who'd seen things they weren't supposed to off. He'd need to have them swear to not go public with this, at the end of a barrel if money didn't work. At least with how things were going, they wouldn't have to be completely silent for long.

At one point, he found himself back under the large ceiling-hatch. Moving around up there was easier, since the guards, of whom he had seen at least ten already, were all stationed on lower ledges, allowing him to navigate both sides of the ravine. There, right at the spot where the cave wall turned into the ceiling, he saw a small tunnel leading into the side the bugs were protecting. Figuring that a little detour wouldn't hurt, Lembit crawled into the small space, which thankfully got much larger as it went on.

Eventually, he decided to stop and head back, but immediately postponed that decision when he saw multiple large cracks in the side of the cave wall. Looking through them, he caught a glimpse of what had to be an enormous cavern, but that wasn't the best part. Built into it was an entire city, mostly of stone. It looked surprisingly advanced for the medieval society that these bugs seemed to have. He took off his mask to get a better, more natural view.

Immediately, Lembit started to come up with plans for when the current problem was dealt with. The city looked like it would make a great base of operations for the Pact, not only as a military site, though he was definetly going to move some troops here, but also as a living place for both the locals, who he imagined there was a lot of considering the size of it, and the residents of Elsewhere, which was going to make it much easier for them to keep quiet. Yes, getting control of this place would make his infuence in America much more present

He also hoped on finding a someone among the bugs who was willing to see the sensibility of siding with him and become a local leader after the _thing_ that was spreading the energy and likely commanded those constructs had been taken care of. It certainly wouldn't have hurt if they were a warrior or fighter either. This seemed to be a medieval sword-and-shield type society so hopefully there would be plenty of them. Besides, someone had to have killed all those armored corpses he saw in the chasm.

No, he was getting too ahead of himself. All of those things would be done later. The threat that the being living in the depth of these caves possessed was still great and fighting it was going to be challenging, especially since he was fairly sure those constructs wouldn't just stop at Elsewhere and would continue their advance. Tomorrow, he'd come back to the city with Adrian and they would continue their plans from there.

* * *

He slid the mask back on, then made his way out of the tunnel and back into the ravine. After having gone through some more shortcuts and hiding spots in the upper ravine, Lembit decided it was time to worry about getting himself and Adrian some food. Even though every single creature he'd seen in these caves appeared insect-based, there wasn't a shortage of potential game. Besides, he'd had to eat bugs before during some escapades in Africa and the other man didn't seem picky either. He eventually decided to go for one of the very large, cow-esque peaceful creatures that slowly floated around the chasm using their three sets of wings.

Lembit picked his target, a creature hovering over a bigger ledge. It would have been annoying if it fell down the ravine and had to be recovered. He took out his rifle-pistol, since using his sword or knife would have been messy, overly long and likely very painful for the animal. The iron sights lined up with the bug's head, which he aimed for to minimize damage to the meat, since the divinium round would have completely singed everything it went through. He looked downwards for a moment, eyeing the guards on a lower ledge. This was likely going to cause a massive fright to them and that was excactly what Lembit wanted. Fear was a good weapon.

His eyes went back to the gun's sights and the next moment, he pulled the trigger. A reddish flash came out of the barrel and a loud bang was heard, followed by the large creature dropping onto the ledge dead. Another moment passed and Lembit could already hear the panicked shouts of the two guards below. He smirked to himself and, keeping low, headed towards his prey.

Having reached the dead creature, he first dragged it away from the side of the ledge to make it harder for anyone to spot him. After that, he opened a large leather pouch on his bandolier, which held his other knife, the larger hunting blade that he used most of the time. He pulled it out and jabbed it at the dead animal. It took two hits to pierce the hard shell, which he had to remove a piece of, before getting to what it was protecting.

The flesh, though much more like a vertebrate's than any other insect he'd seen, was quite slimy and slick, qualities which would hopefully disappear after cooking it. Thankfully, a more negative aspect that the meat didn't have was smell, which was immediately clear when he cut into it. Despite its original purpose and design, the advanced technology installed into the gas mask only made it live up to its name when toxic substances were detected in the environment. Otherwise, it just let air through.

Lembit cut a few decently sized pieces, which he put into his trenchcoat's pocket, since, aside from his cigars, there wasn't anything else currently in them. He also cut a large one that he took under his left arm. It was going to make climbing a bit harder, but he didn't care, that was the one he'd decided to reserve for himself. Even after all that, most of the creature was still intact. Not being able to do anything about it, Lembit decided to leave it on the ledge, hoping that scavengers would do the rest.

He climbed back down to the ledge that lead to the tent, walking between the pools of bubbling water. Then, he went around the passage in the ground and started making it up the two short ledges. Finally, he heaved himself into the small structure and looked at the bench where he expected Adrian to have stayed.

It was empty.

"_Ai, kurat,_" muttered the general. He'd left his lighter with him.

* * *

**ADRIAN**

* * *

Adrian woke up by falling onto the floor. He groaned, before opening his eyes, expecting to see the floor of the tent, which he had obviously rolled on to. Instead, he saw an alarming amount of yellow, while his ears started picking up a loud buzzing. Also, the ground that he was on felt different to the stones that had been in the cave. After a few seconds, his eyesight and hearing became clearer, though he still felt tired. Quickly getting up, he looked at his surroundings, only to come face-to-face with multiple sets of black eyes.

Adrian jerked backwards, frightened. Right in front of him hovered five bugs, all looking at him. Their heads were covered in brown fur and only showed their eyes and antennae, while their small, stocky bodies had a shiny pattern of black-and-yellow stripes. The human could immediately recognize what they were: bees.

Who had apparently kidnapped him.

Getting even further away from the creatures, Adrian's hand dug into his pants' pocket for the knife Juss had given to him, which thankfully he hadn't lost while he was being transported. He pulled it out and waved it towards the bees, who all pulled back. One of them stayed in front of the others, however, and started to speak, well, more like squeak, in a language that the human sort-of recognized as sounding similar to the one that he'd heard the other bugs speak before.

"No! I can't understand you," he said agressively, "now stay back!"

He waved the small knife again, which caused the bee that had spoken to also retread to the others. Adrian felt victorious for a moment, before realizing that they were currently situated between him and the seemingly only door that lead out of the strange yellowish cave they were all in. Worse, from the doorway behind the small bees, all of whom were now huddled together and were staring at him, appeared one that was much larger. It wasn't as large as Adrian, but it was stockier and looked angry.

The human held the knife up and tried backing away, only to realise there was a wall behind him.

He was trapped.

* * *

**And that wraps up another chapter, this time with a cliffhanger. **

**Also, a little more exposition. **


	12. Chapter 10: Reunion

Chapter 10: Reunion

* * *

**APISIA**

* * *

The last few days had been really eventful for the Hive. Having spent many decades with its residents both Infected and in a magically induced stasis that prevented them from aging, with both of those gone, there was still a lot of confusion and disorder.

And Apisia was one of the Hivelings that had to turn disorganization into organization.

Having been granted her position just mere days before she and all of her other sisters fell to the vile illness, she felt extremely overwhelmed. Chambers had to be cleaned and refurbished, all the everyone had to be given new assignments and, where she as a royal healer was needed most, helping the inhabitans of the hive, especially the younger workers, recover from the long years spent as mindless drones. Almost everyone's minds had been damaged in some way, making speech harder and even causing some to absent mindedly crash into one another mid flight. Even Apisia, who had spent years reading and reciting old and new texts to study for her very important role found herself stumbling on some longer sentences.

Hopefully, time would heal these wounds of the mind.

The royal healers were also tasked with setting quite a large number of workers, soldiers and even guardians to rest. The queen had explained that just a few days before the Infection disappeared, a small, mute warrior had come to the Hive and its inhabitans, still slaves of the sickness and angry, had attacked them. Thankfully, when this strange fighter had found a piece of Hiveblood that had become a charm and wore it on them, the mindless Hivelings had recognized them as an ally and had stopped their fatal attempts to approach.

Despite being saddened by the deaths of her sisters, Apisia also felt a strange sense of relief. What if she had been one of the Hivelings felled by the stranger's nail? However, not dying meant that now, a long queue of her littler sisters were hovering outside of one of the healers' chambers waiting for a much needed checkup.

"Are done yet?"

"Right away, little one," Apisia answered, rechecking each of the small Hiveling's legs. The poor, disoriented girl girl had been part of the last clutch laid by the queen before her death and hadn't even been given a name yet, but fortunately, her body appeared to be in good health and her mind would just need a week or two to catch up with everything.

"Alright, you can go now," she said, smiling at her sister.

With a series of cheers, the small one exited the chamber. Before Apisia could call another one in however, she felt a flash of panic in the hivemind. Five of the outside scouts were calling for help from an upper chamber. They were signaling about something to do with a creature being agressive and them needing the help of someone smart to calm it down before any of the soldiers hurt it.

Apisia felt the jolts in the hivemind as all the other healers shifted the responsibility to her as the youngest on the job. She knew that those in her position were tasked to help calm conflicts both in and outside the Hive so, despite questioning why and how this creature had gotten in, she made for the corridor. She flew above the waiting Hivelings, profusely apologising, and hastily made it towards a bigger hall so she could go to the upper levels. Apisia knew that soldiers had a tendency to be stubborn and extremely protective towards their younger sisters, so if one felt that this _creature_, whatever it was, was threatening the smaller ones, then she hoped to reach it quickly. She couldn't even imagine what would have happened if it had been discovered by a guardian.

* * *

The healer eventually reached the chamber from where the scouts were calling for help, one very close to the eastern entrance to the Hive. As she approached from the corridor, she saw that the five smaller Hivelings were all hovering in the doorway while a soldier had already gone inside. The little ones wordlessly moved aside, letting her enter. There, she finally got to look at the creature.

What she saw was something that surprised her. The creature was very similar to what new-hornet Max had looked like while he still partly had his birth-form, one of a hyu-man. It had the same shade of hair covering the top of its head and it had also covered most of itself in garments. Its face didn't have any mask though, since according to the queen, hyu-mans didn't wear them.

And, as her sisters had said, it looked agitated, pushing itself against the back wall and waving what looked to be a very small cutting nail around. This didn't faze her larger sibling though, as she threateningly hovered closer to him, growling. The hyu-man itself was saying something too, though in a language Apisia had never heard before. It was safe to say that the situation was a difficult one.

Still, it was her duty to calm everything down.

"Sister, please stop. Let me handle it," she called to the soldier.

"No," the larger Hiveling grumbled, "creature threatened the little ones and has nail. It's still dangerous. Needs to be stopped."

"That's why I'm here," said Apisia, "I came to make sure nobody got hurt. Please, fly aside. We can solve this peacefully."

The soldier looked at her, clearly thinking carefully about the situation.

"Very well," she eventually spoke, "but I shall remain here."

"Thank you," Apisia said, sighing with relief, before turning her attention to the scouts still huddled at the doorway.

"Now, before I'll do anything else, I'd like to know how this creature even got into the Hive."

Having heard that, one of the little ones flew forwards. "Well," she said, guilt audible in her voice, "we were searching caves and found old tent. There was sleeping creature. We knew that aspids bad so we brought here for safety. Then woke up and was angry."

Apisia could do nothing, but put a leg on her forehead and sigh again. On one claw, her sisters had had good intentions, but on the other, they'd interacted with something they'd never even seen before and brought it home, which was both dangerous and, since the creature was clearly an intelligent one, impolite.

With a low tone she said: "Well, I do hope that you learn from this and don't do anything alike it again. It's clearly frightened and after we're done here, you'll apologise for disturbing it. Is that clear?"

Lecturing like this made the technically still young Hiveling feel much older than she really was, but thankfully, the small scout and all her companions nodded rapidly. Now she finally had time to deal with the hyu-man who had lowered the small nail and was cautiously looking at the Hivelings.

Slowly hovering towards it, Apisia held her two forelegs out in a conciliatory manner and calmly said: "Please, do not fear. My sisters didn't mean you any harm by bringing you here."

Despite her tone, the creature raised its nail towards her again and said something in its language, causing Apisia to stop.

"You cannot understand me, can you?"

The hyu-man just looked at her, the weapon in its hand shaking.

Apisia groaned, burying her face in her forelegs. This was going to be even more difficult than she thought. Though she was usually very calm, it was also already evening and there was a long day behind her. Still, the hope of getting even a little bit of sleep before having to rise early tomorrow wasn't entirely lost.

In the hivemind, Apisia signaled that she needed to know where the hornet Max was and also for someone to guide him here. What better way to deal with a hyu-man than with somebody who used to be one themselves? Hovering at a relatively safe distance from the agitated creature, the healer began to wait.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

Even though Max had broken out of his cocoon fairly late in the day, that didn't mean the rest of it had been boring, infact, the exact opposite was true. After leaving the queen's hall, the next few hours had mostly been taken up by training with Hornet, who, despite clearly trying to hide it, was very enthusiastic about the whole thing. The warrior had called for a Hiveling scribe and ordered it to create an entire timetable for the next days. Aside from teaching him how to fight, she'd also promised to show him the ways of surviving in the caves he now had to call home. This wasn't to say that the hornet himself wasn't excited. Max really did want to learn how to mask his scent and hunt without being seen. Also, it was surprisingly fun spending time with the female. It was probably his hornet side wanting those things, but he didn't care, since that's who he was now.

Still, after many hours of fighting and being beaten by his companion, Max had begun to feel slightly tired and also very hungry. It was to be expected, since the last meal he'd had had been many days ago in the dungeon, which he'd barfed out due to the transformation. This was why he was now seated in the feeding hall, hungrily gulping down a bowl of Hiveblood with Hornet sitting opposite of him. Even though she wasn't hungry, having only eaten yesterday, she'd wished to stay in Max's company, since there was really nothing else for her to do. After she'd heard her disturbing tale for the first time, queen Vespa had decided to forbid her from going outside the Hive.

Max finished slurping from bowl and set it back on the table, wiping any residue off his face. He didn't care that he'd eaten like this. The stuff was really good.

"I think I'm done here," he said to Hornet, "what do we do now?"

"I bellieve that you should retreat to your chamber soon," the female responded, "I'll remain awake for a little longer and attempt to find something to fill my time with."

"I guess you're right," the male sighed, "today was pretty fun."

"I would appreciate if you did not view it as such," argued Hornet, "the things I shall be teaching you are very important. There are a lot of improvements that we'll need to make to your technique and it requires your full consentration."

"Right, sorry," Max quietly apologised.

"Still," Hornet continued, looking down at the table, "I'd be lying if I said that our training today was entirely void of enjoyment. If you tried, your skills would definetly become ones to behold."

"Thanks," said the hornet, taken aback at the sudden compliment. Even he had to admit that his style back at the chamber where they'd fought hadn't been the greatest.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Max saw a Hiveling quickly fly towards them them.

"New-hornet, your help is needed," she exclaimed, panting.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down there," the hornet said, holding both his hands up, "why does someone need my help?"

"Sister Apisia sent out a signal saying that she needs your help and fast, hornet. I suspect it may have to do with the creature that the scouts were scared of a little while ago," the Hiveling hastily explained.

"Creature? How am I supposed to help with that," Max asked.

"I do not know," the flying bug spoke, "but Apisia is smart and if she thinks you can help then it is likely true."

"Okay, I guess," said the hornet, standing up, "I don't know where she is though. Can you take me to her?"

"Sadly, no," the Hiveling replied, "my post is here at the eating hall. I'll have someone else take you up there."

"Okay," Max stated, "thanks for the heads up, uh-"

"Oh, my name is Mellissa," the Hiveling happily said, "when you meet Apisia, can you tell her that I'll be seeing her sometime tomorrow."

"Sure, it's no problem at all," the hornet accepted, "thanks again."

He then looked at Hornet.

"You coming?"

"I would like to, yes," the warrior said, getting up, "if this creature you were called to aid with proves to be agressive, then you'll definetly need my help."

The two exited the hall and were greeted by a small worker who began to lead them to where Apisia was. They moved at a fast pace, since the healer had asked them to come as quickly as possible. While running, Max wondered why the Hiveling needed him in particular, but couldn't come up with anything on the spot. Eventually, after making it through multiple halls, they reached a corridor that was situated right next to the Hive's eastern entrance.

* * *

When they arrived, there were a number of Hivelings peeking through the doorway into the chamber with even a soldier accompanying them. Seeing Max and Hornet, they moved aside, letting them in. Inside the small chamber, the hornet could immediately see Apisia hovering in its middle, while against the wall there was a figure, the sight of whom made Max gawp.

It was his uncle, Adrian, somehow down here, in the Hive. His back was against the wall and he was gripping some small nail (the changes to Max's mental vocabulary still jarred him), looking at the new arrivals with uncertainty. He didn't look good, his shirt and pants dirty and even a little bit torn and his scent, which Max's mind immediately began to associate with family, had a very strong hint of sweat that the hornet could identify very easily.

Hearing they bugs enter, Apisia turned around. "Oh, hello Max, hello Hornet," she greeted, to which the two replied with their own. The Hiveling continued: "Thank you for getting here on such a short notice. I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"No, no, it's okay," Max assured, before looking at his uncle, "why is he- How did you find him?" He pointed at Adrian.

"Oh," Apisia gasped, looking at the human herself, "the scouts at the door found the hyu-man sleeping in a cave and decided to bring it home. Do you know i-, him?"

"He's my uncle," the hornet said with a serious tone, "why's he got a nail. Did something happen?"

"Well," Apisia explained, casting a glance back at the Hivelings at the door "the scouts thought that it would be a good idea not to wake your uncle up before bringing him here. So, when he woke up, he was clearly scared and took out his nail."

At that, the scouts at the door all looked down at the floor with guilt ridden faces.

The healer continued: "I was called here to calm the situation down, but none of us can speak hyu-man. I thought that you might be able to help us tell him that he's safe."

"Okay, I'll- "

"What the hell," Adrian suddenly said, cutting him off. Max's first experience with English as a hornet surprised him. It sounded so _different_ now, though he could thankfully still understand it.

"No, this doesn't make sense," his uncle continued, bringing his hand up and pinching the bridge of his nose, "I must be going crazy. There's no way." He then chuckled dryly. "I'm even starting to talk to myself," he then muttered."

Max realised that he must have recognized him speak. Even with all the changes to his body and mind, his voice had stayed almost exactly the same. Yet looking at his relative, he had no idea what to say that wouldn't freak him out even further. Also, though he could understand English, he wasn't sure that he could speak it anymore.

Still, he had to try something.

"Uh, hi? How are you," he asked, slowly stepping towards his uncle inwardly cringing at the accent he now had.

For a second, Adrian looked as if he'd seen a ghost. Then he angrily snapped: "How're you suddenly speaking sense and in my nephew's voice? What sort of trick is this?"

The sudden outburst was discouraging and Max stopped for a second, but then kept walking.

"Adrian, I know this looks really, really bad," he tried to explain, "but it's me. I'm Max."

For a moment, the human was silent, before yelling: "Like hell you are!"

Without even giving the shocked hornet a split second to react, his uncle lunged towards him with the nail, only to be immediately knocked down by Hornet who forced the weapon out of his hand and would likely have caused a lot more harm if Max hadn't intervened.

"Stop," he shouted at the warrior, causing her to look at him questioningly, still holding the human down.

"Get off him," Max said, his voice now shaking, "please. He didn't understand that it's me."

"He still tried to attack you," the warrior replied.

"He just thinks that we're the bugs that kidnapped me," Max spoke, "please, I'll try again. Just don't hurt him."

There was a tense pause. "Very well," she eventually responded.

As quickly as she'd pinned the human down, Hornet picked up the nail and stood back up beside Max who still couldn't believe what had just happened.

"Just be careful with what you say," she warned.

Max started to slowly approach Adrian, the man now laying on the wax ground, still recovering from the rapid change in position. When he saw the hornet moving closer, he pulled himself back towards the wall.

"Why _this_," he asked, his voice shaking as well," Just take me to where you keep Max already? I know you have him. You wouldn't be able to pull this off without him."

Max felt something warm run down the side of his mask. He'd never seen his uncle this disturbed before. Wanting to try and somehow make Adrian recognize him, the hornet held his hand out at him.

"No, we're not _keeping_ anyone," he said, almost choking, " I know everything's crazy right now, but it really _is_ me."

Adrian sneered. "Go ahead then,  'Max', tell me something that only Maxwell would know," he said, staring up at the hornet.

Max tried to think of something, anything, that would get him to understand. Finally, he remembered something.

"Do you remember the night when I first came to Elsewhere," he began, prompting a questioning look from Adrian. "It was a few days after my birthday, in the weekend," he continued, "and early next morning, you woke me up, took me outside and-"

"No," the human cut him off, his tone now desperate, "You can't have\- You made him tell you these things!"

"You showed me the Sunrise," said Max, ignoring the interruprion, "and it was so quiet and beautiful."

Though he even lived in the same state, Max had never seen a proper Sunrise before that morning. His family lived in an apartment fairly close to the city's centre that pointed to the west. Even on the rare occasions when he had caught a glimpse of it, which didn't happen often because the family didn't travel a lot and Max himself had been quite a heavy sleeper, it'd always been partially blocked by tall buildings and made less special by the constant background noise of cars and other things in the city. It was pretty safe to say that that morning had been special to Max.

"And I just watched it until I fell asleep again and later, you said I sat there for atleast thirty minutes," he finished, before quickly wiping his mask, feeling slightly embarrassed for actually shedding tears.

Adrian was silent. He just looked at Max, then at the hand, which he still held towards him.

Then, very quietly, he asked: "Kid, that really you?"

Max just nodded, silent.

Suddenly, Adrian grabbed the hornet's hand and pulled him into a hug. Though taken by surprise, Max returned it. They both stayed like this for a few seconds.

"God damn, what the hell did they do to you," his uncle eventually asked, breaking the embrace and standing up with him, "what even are you now,"

Max was silent for a few moments. There were so many things he wanted to tell his uncle about that it was hard to even decide where to begin.

"I\- I'm a hornet," he said.

"A hornet," deadpanned Adrian, "like a bug."

Max nodded again.

"Okay," the human said, "we're together now. How do we fix it?"

The question took Max by surprise, but it also made sense why Adrian would ask it. Though it was certain that he wouldn't like the answer.

Still, there was no point in lying

"There's no way to _fix _it," he stated, "I'm stuck as a hornet."

"Wait what? What do you mean 'no way'," Adrian asked, "who told you that?"

He looked around and pointed at Hornet, who was standing at the side, looking intently at both of them, saying: "Did _she_ tell you that? _They_ changed you, Max. Why're you even with them?"

"No, uncle, you don't understand," Max explained, not wanting the situation to become ugly again, "the Hivelings only helped me. Her," he pointed at the warrior, "name is Hornet and she saved both of our us from the bugs that forced my change."

"So these, er, bees didn't send those things that kidnapped everyone else back home," Adrian asked.

"Yeah," responded Max, "There's multiple sides down here. Trust me, there's a lot of stuff you need to hear about."

He looked back at Apisia who was hovering beside Hornet.

"Hey, I told my uncle that you can be trusted," he said, switching back to the bugs' language.

"That is very good," the Hiveling replied, sounding relieved, "I'm glad that he's calmed down. We'll go present him to the queen so that she can clarify things even better."

"I do not believe that would be wise," Hornet interjected, "though you managed to tell him the truth, he still attacked you, Max."

"Yeah, but I told you that it was because he thought we were allied with the king," Max said, "please, give him a chance."

He looked pleadingly at Hornet, whose eyes were switching between him and his uncle. Finally she seemed to make up her mind, saying: "Very well, we'll take him to the queen. But know that I am only okay with this because _you_ asked and I trust you."

"Okay, uh, thanks," the hornet responded, a bit surprised, though in a good way, at her reasoning.

"What'd you say," Adrian asked from behind him.

"Oh, we're going to the hive's queen," Max replied, looking back at him.

"A queen. Like a queen bee?"

"Yeah," the bug said, "like that. She'll help me to explain these things to you."

"Alright, you'll translate what they're saying, right," the human asked.

"Of course," Max said, turning towards Apisia and Hornet again, "Come on, let's go.

The three bugs and the human walked through the doorway, the other Hivelings clearing a path. As they made their way down the corridor, Max saw his uncle's head move as if it was on a swivel, looking at the strange enviroment that was the Hive. He couldn't blame him really. His reaction had roughly been the same when he'd first been brought to this place by Hornet.

Speaking of the warrior, she had positioned herself right beside him, which didn't bother him at all, though it seemed a little weird for her. She must've been taking her role as his tutor very seriously. Fairly soon, they entered the first larger hall on their trip to the queen.

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

The group of four entered the Hive's eastern hall. From beside her, Hornet heard a quiet 'whoa' and looked to find the human staring in awe, much like Max had done when she'd brought him here a few days ago. Her friend's relative was someone who she'd have to keep an eye on. Even though the hornet trusted her, which she didn't fault him for due to them being family, there was still a twinge of distrust when it came to him.

A part of her knew that it was irrational and that the hyu-man was on their side and just didn't recognize Max before, but another, more skeptical part said that keeping an eye on Adrian wouldn't hurt. Because it was already evening, there weren't as many Hivelings flying around the different levels, most of them having retreated to the lower chambers to rest. She herself had started to feel slightly fatigued, but it certainly wasn't something she planned on showing. Hornet worried more about bothering queen Vespa at this late hour.

As they walked through the large hall, Max and his uncle spoke in the hyu-mans' language. Hornet hoped that they would soon find a way to help Adrian communicate with them. The difference of the speech annoyed her, since she didn't understand anything that was said in it.

The warrior raised her hand from beneath her cloak and looked at the hyu-man's nail, which she was still holding. It was one of those small types that the Hallownest's and those without strong claws or bigger weapons used to cut things. She was glad that she'd reacted as fast as she did back in the smaller chamber, even though Adrian's lunge was so blindly done that it would likely have ended up with him on the floor or, much worse, on Max.

Still, despite the attack being unexpected, she wished that Max would have reacted fast enough to counter it. The following days of training would prove to be very beneficial to him. Atleast she managed to protect him. After all, it was her duty as his teacher, friend and also as the better fighter.

The group walked out of the hall and through multiple tunnels. A few of the Hivelings that were still awake came by to get a look at the new hyu-man, much like they'd done with Max two days before. After silently passing the central chamber and tunnel, they finally reached the walkway where the queen resided.

* * *

Apisia chose to stay at the doorway, while Hornet, Max and the latter's uncle went forwards. Not soon after, the ghostly body of queen Vespa appeared in front of them, prompting Adrian to exclaim something in his language and the hornet to whisper something to him.

Ignoring him, Hornet said: "Good evening, queen Vespa. I apologize for us coming so late, but _the others_ thought it would be best if we came right away."

The ghostly royal Hiveling stared at her for a moment, before putting her hands to her mouth and giggling. "Oh, Hornet," she then said, "your continued humility makes me proud, yet you forget that I am dead. I do not need rest in the traditional sense."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, the warrior nodded and moved to the side.

"Now," she stated, turning towards the hyu-man, "it appears that another human has come to the Hive."

Adrian said something in a questioning tone, which prompted Max to step forward.

"Hello, queen Vespa," he said, "my uncle and I have agreed that I'll translate between us. He's just confused at your, um, interesting appearance."

"I don't believe that shall be neccessary," the queen replied, "this is an issue that can be fixed with a small bit of mind-magic, though I'll only do it if he is fully willing for me to."

The hornet turned to his relative and spoke with him. The conversation lasted a little while, since the hyu-man seemed reluctant to let the queen cast the spell. After a bit of what sounded like convincing from Max, the latter turned back towards the Hiveling, saying: "He's a bit nervous, but willing to go through with this."

"Splendid," said Vespa joyfully, before a warm yellow glow appeared in her translucent eyes.

The spell's effect seemed to hurt the hyu-man, as he clutched his head and groaned.

"I believe you might have made the spell a bit too strong, Vespa," said Hornet.

"Yeah, I agree. That kind of hurt," the hyu-man said in a perfectly understandable way, prompting a surprised look from the warrior and Max, then himself.

"It worked," he stated.

"I am sorry for the strength of the spell," the queen apologized, "as a ghost, it is sometimes harder to feel the limits of my own abilities. On the positive side, it does seem that it worked."

She floated closer to Adrian.

"Now that we can properly understand one another," Vespa began, "I do believe that introductions are in order. I am queen Vespa of the hive."

The hyu-man looked to take a moment to collect himself. "Hello," he then greeted, "my name's Adrian, Adrian Reed."

"Well met, Adrian Reed," the queen said, "now, it is clear to me that you have a lot of questions."

The hyu-man nodded, saying: "Yeah, I do. Most importantly, I want to know if what Max said is true and this _transformation_ that's happened to him can't be reversed."

Having heard him, the hornet hung his head, clearly saddened, while the queen let out a heavy sigh.

"Yes," she said, "I know it is most unfortunate, but the mask's magic is older than even me. The only one likely able to undo the changes to your nephew would be the Pale King, who would definetly not do it on any terms."

"Why," Adrian asked, "who is this king anyway?"

"The Pale King's the one who's behind all this," Max piped up, explaining, "he's the one who sent all those white things to attack Elsewhere and kidnap everyone living there, like us."

"What Max says is true," Vespa added, "the king a higher being, a bug so powerful that some call him a god, though one would expect a god to be noble."

"Alright, but why'd he turn you into a bug," the hyu-man quiered from Max.

"Because that's what he wants to do to all humans," the hornet said, "when we were taken to him, he mentioned some kind of 'great tragedy' has left a lot of his subjects dead and that he wants to use us to replace them."

"The Infection," Hornet began, making Adrian and Max look at her, "it was a great illness that plauged Hallownest and its surrounding lands for many decades, claiming the lives of most of the bugs living in them."

She then explained how the Infection's source was just recently destroyed by the vessel and how the Pale King and his palace, which had both disappeared during these long years, had reemerged just a mere day after.

"Wow," said Max, staring at her with a dumbfounded look, "I knew the bugs living in these caves used magic, but that was straight out of a fantasy text. How come you didn't tell me that before?"

"It really wasn't of much importance," responded Hornet, "besides, I do not like to brag. Also, what is a 'fantasy text'?"

"Okay, so this 'king' started his attempts at invasion right after coming back," said Adrian, "I'd still like to know how and why you fit into this, Max."

The hornet in question let out a short sigh and turned to Hornet. "I think it's best if we told him the whole thing. Do you mind helping with that?"

"No, I do not," the warrior replied.

Much like with Vespa a few days before, Max began telling Adrian about what happened, from when he and a few other hyu-mans had been taken to the Pale King and he to the dungeons, due to what he was becoming, to when Hornet and him escaped the palace, with the warrior explaining how she'd helped him when he'd fallen unconscious.

Adrian simply looked at them, listening and nodding.

When Hornet finally finished with how they'd reached the Hive, he spoke up: "I don't even know what to say right now except _thank you_ for helping my family."

Hornet looked at him and bowed her head with a small smile.

Adrian then asked: "But why was put in that prison when Rojas "(yet another strange hyu-man name)" and the others weren't? I get that he was turning into some kind of _bug_ the king didn't like, but what did he do with the others?"

"I am afraid the situation with them is much more difficult," said queen Vespa with a grim tone, "you see, Adrian, while Max's mind was protected by the magic of the hornets, which prompted the Pale King's anger, the others from your tribe were not so lucky. Theirs' fell victim to the king's _ suggestions_."

"So you're saying he messed with their heads? To what extent?"

"Sadly," Vespa replied, "I am not sure. Though it seems that for now, they appear to be in service of the king, likely willingly."

"Well, that's just terrific," Adrian said, the sarcasm in his voice not even lost to Hornet.

"All this is just too much," he then continued, resting the front of his head on his hand, "if this 'king' is so powerful, how's anyone even going to be able to fight him?"

"That shall prove to be difficult, yes, but not impossible," stated Vespa, "but not impossible. Around the borders of Hallownest live many tribes, much like our Hive, that I am certain will help us in our struggle against the Pale King. I have already sent my messengers out to bring them word of our rebellion. Besides, his palace could only have held so many forces."

"Yes," spoke Hornet proudly, "and after good training, Max will be able to live up to the hornets' heritage and fight as a warrior."

"Yeah, I think I'm making good progress too," her student added, to which the warrior rolled her eyes with a quiet chuckle.

"Wait a minute, you're planning on going out there and fighting," the hyu-man asked Max.

"Yeah," the hornet responded, "I want to help and free the others, get revenge on the Pale King too."

"Revenge? Max, is something wrong?" The hyu-man looked worried now. "You're not usually this agressive."

"No, I'm feeling normal," the hornet responded, "I just want to help. Fighting's the best way to do that."

Before Adrian could say anything else, Vespa interjected: "You seem alarmed by your nephew's behaviour. Know that there is nothing to be worried about. Along with his form, his mind also changed to reflect that of a hornet's."

"So his mind _was_ messed with," the hyu-man asked.

"Hey," Max said, "I'm still me. Just a little bit different."

"Alright, but we'll talk about this later, understood," responded his uncle, before turning towards Hornet. "And you're going to promise that you'll look after him, okay?"

Hornet nodded, saying: "You have my word. Max is my companion and student. I will make sure he stays out of harm's way until trained enough."

"You better," the hyu-man stated, "I don't want us to be torn apart. It's bad enough that it'll be very difficult for him the see the rest of his family."

"Do not worry," the queen said, "you are together now. The Hive is a safe place. Though I would actually like to know how you managed to avoid the king's constructs and make your way here."

"Yeah, I'd like to know as well," added Max.

"Alright, fine," the hyu-man sighed, before starting to tell his own tale.

He spoke about how he'd managed to get away from the Kingsmoulds and then hide himself with a few other residents of his village, thanks to a strange protection on one of its houses. Though he used a lot of terms for things she hadn't heard of before, Hornet became interested when Adrian spoke of how that very morning, a group of hyu-man sentries lead by some well-known warchief had come to the settlement to try and rescue the ones trapped there.

Adrian told of how the sentries had held of the constructs while their leader called for some sort vehicle that could travel through the air. Sadly, the king's abominations had damaged this 'chopper' (which didn't sound like a vehicle to her) and brought it down, with only the sentries' chief and him having gotten away uncaptured. They had then spent an entire day walking to the caves that held Hallownest.

"So we snuck in and came to this large ravine," Adrian spoke, likely referring to the one at the kingdom's border, "then these really agressive bugs attacked us so we took cover in a tent I found."

Hornet was fairly sure she that tent, the one fairly close to where she duelled the little Ghost for the second time. She didn't know who built it or why, but it provided good enough refuge.

"The general went to gather some food, while I tried to get some shut-eye. I fall asleep and then, I wake up on the floor of this place with a bunch of your, er, _children_ flying around," the hyu-man finished, pointing back at the exit of the walkway.

"I have to say, your tale certainly was something," the queen said, turning Apisia, who'd been silently hovering at the doorway until then, "though I think it was best if we now heard why you were brought here."

"Oh," the healer perked up, "of course, my queen. You see, our scouts explained that they found Adrian in that tent and wanted to bring him away from the aspids and other creatures of the caves, without even waking him up."

"Ah, the young ones. I see," Vespa muttered, then spoke louder: "Well, I do hope you weren't too hard on them. You know the small ones."

"Certainly not, my queen," Apisia responded, "I knew they had good intentions."

"That is good, though tomorrow, I shall still reprimand them for not signaling of their discovery."

There was a short silence, which Hornet decided to fill. She wanted to ask more about the hyu-man sentries, since they had appeared to be strong enough to stand up to the Kingsmoulds.

"Excuse me, Adrian," she asked, "I would personally like to know more of this hyu-man that escorted you to Hallownest."

"Oh, the general? Well his-" the hyu-man suddenly gripped the front of his head again, groaning.

He then said something, which Hornet did not understand anymore.

"Oh dear," sighed Vespa, "I am afraid that the spell has run its course."

She turned towards Max and Hornet. "It is fairly late. I believe that we should finish for tonight. You can return to your chambers. Max, tell your uncle that I shall have a charm made and sent to him that will help him understand us."

The hornet nodded, before speaking to the hyu-man, who nodded and then said something back.

"He asked if he could have some food before going to sleep," said Max.

"Of course," the queen responded, "Apisia, would you be so kind and take Adrian to the feeding hall."

"Yes, my queen," the healer agreed. Max then told something else to the hyu-man. Then, Apisia motined for him to follow and they both left, followed shortly by Hornet and her student.

* * *

Keeping quiet, they both made their way into the lower corridors. As per a request from Hornet during midday, Max's chamber was very close to her's, since it would save both of them a lot of time. She had also grown to appreciate his company a lot, so that was an added benefit.

The hall they were walking down was void of any Hivelings, leaving them completely on their own. There wasn't any sound, save for their footsteps and a very distant, quiet buzzing, made by the soldiers and guardians patrolling the larger halls.

"You know," Max started once they reached the corridor with their chambers, "I think that went really well."

"I agree," replied Hornet, looking at him, "though I still had a few more questions."

"About what," the male asked.

"Many things about this human leader he talked about, but also something from you."

Max stopped and looked at her. "Oh, you can ask right now if you want."

"What's an uncle? I know it is some sort of relative, but what is it?" She looked at him expectantly.

There was a short pause, before Max burst out laughing. It didn't sound malicious towards her though, more as if he'd just heard something funny. Still, Hornet wasn't having any of it.

"Stop laughing and explain yourself," she demanded.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the hornet said, still chuckling, "I just expected it to be something more, you know, serious."

"It _was_ a serious question," the warrior replied, despite a small part of her starting to realize it really wasn't.

"Okay, I'll tell you," Max spoke, "Adrian is my father's brother."

"Thank you," said Hornet.

"You seem to take everything really seriously," her student commented with a smirk.

"You've only heard a little of what I've been through," she responded with a grim enough tone that it even surprised her. "Still, in the future, I shall expect more respect from you. Remember that I am still the better fighter," she said.

"Okay, you got it," Max replied.

Hornet nodded, but didn't say anything else. She didn't know why, but for at least the next minute, they just stood in the hallway and looked at each other. Suddenly, as she stood with Max, looking at him, she started feeling that strange thing on her face again, much like what she'd felt in the morning. Thankfully, a few seconds later, the awkward silence was broken by the hornet.

"W- We should probably go to sleep," he, yawning.

"Yes, of course," replied Hornet, rapidly nodding and turning towards the doorway to her chamber.

"Good night, Hornet," called her companion.

"Good night, Max."

She entered her chamber, set the hyu-man's nail, which she'd held all this time, on the chest, quickly covered the lumafly lamp with a cloth and then got into bed. She really wanted to know what this thing that she was feeling meant. It couldn't have been a sickness or harmful magic, it actually felt kind of pleasant in a strange way. It also seemed to be somehow connected to Max. Hornet hadn't known him for long, only a few days, but she already enjoyed his company and he seemed to be shaping up to be a fairly good fighter.

She shut her eyes, knowing that she'd certainly look into the Hive's archives for answers. If there was even one positive thing about queen Vespa forbidding her from going out, it was that she had a lot of time to read, train her student and even practice herself.

* * *

**EMILITIA**

* * *

The young noble couldn't believe her misfortune.

Emilitia had been excited when her servant and her were finally escorted outside of the caves in the afternoon. Though the walk had been long and the sight of the barren wastelands had been rather boring, the settlement which she now owned had still been visible and according to the scholar, whom she'd met in the morning, the lands beyond the desert were to be lush like Greenpath.

What had also been beautiful, was the seemingly infinite sky, though it'd been too late to get a look at the Sun. Emilitia had only seen them a few times before in her youth, when her '_friends_' and her had had meetings outside of the stags' nest.

Sadly, that was where the good things had ended. As she had finished looking at the wasteland, Emilita had asked to begin the trip there. Her plan had been to spend a night in the village and see what condition it was in. However, the sentries and one of the metallic warrior things had blocked her path, the bugs saying that the situation wasn't 'safe'.

From everything she had understood, some group of savages had attacked the king's forces, but had also been taken care of. So why had it been a problem? The sentries had said that, yes, some collateral damage had been caused, but she was certain that renovations had to be made either way. There would certainly need to be imagery of the Pale King, signifying the expansion of his kingdom.

Still, she couldn't convince the stubborn guards. She hadn't gotten too angry with them, knowing that they had likely recieved those orders from some over-paranoid higher-up, but the entire thing had left her in a bad mood.

Thankfully, during their journey back, her loyal Philips had comforted her, which actually made her feel a little better. They had made their way through the dark tunnel, with her servant holding a lantern, and back to the city to her home.

Still, that hadn't been where the bad things ended.

As she'd been in her bed, about to fall asleep, Emilitia had heard her servant's scream. Quickly rushing to see what was happening, she had haphazardly fitted on her cloak and run down the hall. Seeing Philips frightened out of her mind and the pantry's window open, Emilitia had immediately used a magic-using signalling device, which was a must for higher-end dwellings, and called the sentries.

When the armed bugs arrived, the noble's servant had told that, as she'd checked if anything was alright before going to bed, she'd seen a tall menacing figure clad in black robes in the pantry, the room's window open. Further investigation had revealed that the intruder had stolen some smaller fruits, but also an entire tinderbox. Weirdly enough, on the kitchen table, there had been two chunks of raw boofly meat. Had this been this definetly fiendish creature's insolent idea of a fair trade?

After both she and the sentries had calmed the servant, Emilitia headed back to bed. For safety reasons, a guard stayed at the residence, while a few others promised to search the city. In her bed, the young noble thought of her day and how much it had been ruined. Still, everything else was going so well, so she hoped that this one streak of bad luck would remain short. With that encouragement, Emilitia drifted to sleep.

* * *

**So here we have a chapter of a heartfelt reunion, me repeating things the reader already knows and giving **

**our main character a pointlessly dramatic backstory only for the plot to progress.**

**Still, I hoped you liked it. R&R **


	13. Chapter 11: Through the Caves

Chapter 11: Through the Caves

* * *

**JUSS**

* * *

Theft wasn't something Lembit prided himself for. There had been a time, many years ago, when he was constantly on ther run, that had forced him to resort to it. But now, he was a contributing member of society that earned his bread through mostly honest means.

Like politics.

A small part of the man had wanted to try and find a way to find Adrian, but the lack of footprints or any other disturbance pointed at the fact that something definetly flew away with him. In any other case, he could've enabled the scanners on his mask and found a trail, but he wasn't a sniffer dog. Lembit had known that Adrian probably wasn't doing well. With how medieval the soldiers looked, it was safe to say that the prisons weren't so great.

Still, he'd set standards for himself. Raw meat could be somewhat hazardous to eat, especially if it was from a species he didn't even know the name of. Plus, it was also disgusting. So, he'd decided to go into the bugs' city earlier than he planned to hopefully get something to eat or, better yet, something to light a fire with. It was nighttime on the surface, so he'd hoped that there would be less activity down there as well, though he hadn't been planning on taking in the sights that much. He'd left the large piece of meat at the tent, since carrying it around would have been pointless.

Sneaking in through a small tunnel at the side of the ravine that he'd discovered before, Lembit had found himself in a backstreet at the side of a very large building. What immediately had struck him as odd, was that even though the city was underground, it was _pouring_ rain. He'd looked up to only see the cave ceiling very high up, with no evidence as to where the water was coming from. While it had been weird, the man had decided to keep moving. His coat was mostly waterproof, but standing around for too long would still get him soaked.

Having moved through the back alley and to the larger street, he'd only sighted lone guards patrolling around, absolutely no one else. Also, weirdly enough, while the white lamps lining the cobblestone streets had been lit, every single house or apartment window he'd seen was completely black.

As Lembit had snuck through the mostly empty streets, keeping to the shadows, he'd finally seen a light in the window of what seemed to be a much fancier apartment complex. Having approached, he had carefully looked into the ground-level residence to see that, yes, the interior looked very high-class, with the seats in the living room being padded and the doorways having vibrant red curtains acting as doors.

The next moment, he'd seen someone enter the room. The bug who'd entered the room was the same one he'd seen follow the cloaked tall one, which had basically confirmed that they were a servant. They'd gone around the room, checking the various pieces of furniture with a duster, and then left.

Lembit had also moved on, sneaking to the next window. This one had been much smaller, though still large enough to climb through, which had been perfect, since looking inside revealed a small room with shelves containing jars and baskets of what was certainly food.

Lembit had taken his knife from its holster and, quickly and silently, broken the window's lock. He'd climbed inside, taking care to make as little sound as possible. After that, he'd started looking over the shelves and found that there really wasn't a lot. To his surprise though, the human had found a straw bag with about ten potatoes in it. As he thought about it now, it kind of made sense though. Even though the bugs were underground, they were still on Earth, so the plant species wouldn't be too different to the surface.

Deciding that these were enough for now, he'd taken about five or six, putting them in his last empty pocket. Then, he'd decided to try something risky. Still maintaining a slow and quiet approach, Lembit had opened the wooden pantry door, revealing a moderately sized kitchen, with the doorway on the other side being blocked by a curtain like he'd seen in the living room. He hadn't even looked around that much, since he'd recognized something very important laying on the kitchen table, an old-fashioned wooden tinderbox with an engraved cover.

While the caves didn't seem to have much that was flammable, a tool like that was bound to be useful. Lembit had immediately moved to take it. Picking it up and trying to put in his coat pocket, he had discovered that it couldn't fit with the pieces of meat he had left in there, which wasn't really that serious, since he had originally hunted for two. So, he'd taken them out and set them on the kitchen table. He'd hoped the would prove as enough of a consolation for the locals, though that was very unlikely.

After the man had fit the wooden box, which he had also checked just in case, into his pocked, he'd walked back into the pantry to leave the building. Before he could do so however, he'd heard the sound of footsteps and of someone pushing aside the curtain in the doorway.

Glancing behind, Lembit had seen the servant bug from before standing in the hallway staring towards him, completely still. She had then stumbled backwards and let out a loud scream of terror He couldn't have blamed her really, since he usually had an imposing effect on people, even without the mask. Still, that had prompted him to hastily jump out of the open window and back onto the rainy street. He hadn't wanted to fight any of those soldiers yet.

* * *

After making his way back to the small alleyway, Lembit entered the tunnel that lead out of the city. His first order of business was to return to the tent and eat. After a short crawl through the cave, he once again stood on the side of the underground ravine. Then, he saw two soldiers on the ledge excactly opposite to him, which made him quickly move back into the crevice to take cover and observe.

A few moments later, the two soldiers were joined by three more joining from the cave behind them, all of them with swords drawn. From where he was hiding, Lembit couldn't even hear the tone the bugs were talking in, but it was clear from the way they were all looking around that they were looking for something or someone.

Probably for the culprit behind the loud bang that had sounded about two hours ago.

The group of five then moved back into the cave and out of sight, prompting the human to quietly sneak forward in order to get a better look at the surrounding chasm. Immediately, he spotted even more guards on both of its sides, thankfully standing at angles that should have made it hard to see him. They all seemed to also be on the lookout and, from his postition, Lembit could count seven, meaning that at least twelve guards were looking for him. Some of the thinner built ones, he noticed, seemed to have wings on their backs. This, of course, meant that crossing the ravine was going to be fairly difficult.

He crouched on his little ledge for quite a few minutes, carefully waiting for the moment he'd be able to rush to the edge and begin climbing down. He wanted to cross the ravine from the bottom, since there didn't seem to be any guards there. Finally, the guard closest to him was distracted by one of the others shouting something from above, which made them look up. In the fraction of a second, Lembit sprung from his hiding spot and quickly started to drop down, almost losing his grip at first.

As he was climbing down, the man passed a few large pipes that were situated at a hight definetly beneath the city and had water flowing out, though not too rapidly. The metal cylinders were likely part of a sewer system, which seemed practical enough, considering how much rainfall there'd been.

As he was hanging onto the lowest pipe, prepared to drop onto the stone path at the bottom of the chasm, Lembit saw two more guards walking into view right beneath him from a tunnel that had been completely out of his sight.

Right there, he had two options: to go back up immediately or make quick work of the two bugs. His ability to choose was cut short however, as one of the soldiers looked up and saw him. They then shouted something, pointing in his direction, which prompted their partner to also notice him. From above, the others were already responding with shouts of their own.

Though he would've been perfectly able to take them on, Lembit had pulled himself into the pipe. It wasn't that he still wanted to try peaceful tactics, since the events at Elsewhere had proved that those were likely impossible. He just didn't want that much attention yet, as someone who killed a soldier was definetly going to be chased more than someone who just ran away.

But there would definetly be blood eventually. There always was.

With the guards' yells still audible, the man crawled through the surprisingly spacious sewer pipe. He made sure to keep a fast pace, since the bugs would definetly try to catch him for now. The large metal tube went on for a little bit, before opening up to a larger room with very humid air.

There were many metal tubes and pipes of various sizes, but also tunnels built of brick. There was water everywhere. The larger chamber he was in also had wet stone pathways leading to little 'sidewalks' on the edges of these Waterways. The entire area was dark enough for his mask's night vision to automatically kick in.

There wasn't too much time to look at the well constructed structure though, as Lembit heard the shouts of the guards from the pipe behind him. He ran into one of the tunnels straight ahead. Even though the stone on the side walkway was wet, it wasn't very slippery, allowing him to run at a good pace. After running through two intersections without changing direction and still hearing the echoing footsteps of the bugs behind him, the soldier decided to change tactic.

He ran into the bottom floor of a larger room with multiple levels and climbed onto a pillar, heaving himself up. The carvings and metal ornaments in the well crafted stone structures gave enough places to grab on to. Lembit went up a bit and then slipped into a smaller and drier corridor, which must have been for maintenance. For a few minutes, he waited beside the entrance, slightly peeking out.

He saw a group of six bug soldiers storm into the large sewer room below, rapidly looking around. The'd thankfully fallen behind enough that they hadn't seen what direction he went in. Leaving them to look around, Lembit started walking down the maintenance tunnel, which eventually lead to another larger chamber that had a stone walkway leading over a wide pool of water.

Now that he wasn't chased, Lembit disengaged the mask's night vision, because he really wanted to get a good, unfiltered look at the construction of the underground structure. Thankfully, small lanterns on the walls coupled with the reflections from below luminated the chamber fairly well.

Everything was built in a way that showed the architects had both form and function in mind. Unlike the small rivers outside the city, the water here, though appearing slightly green in colour, didn't seem hazardous at all, since it was probably all just rainwater from above. Still, the intricacy surprised him, since from a technological standpoint, the bugs didn't seem to have gotten far. Perhaps they'd used a large amount of magic. The nature of what was clearly their leader seemed to suggest that.

Despite being well built and designed, the sewers were still sewers and there was also a fair bit of muck. Surprisingly though, there were also a lot of dead creatures, both floating in the water and on the sides of the walkways. Now, Lembit would have accepted animals in the sewer. He'd been to Florida. In these tunnels however, there seemed to be a lot more dead bugs than live ones, whom he only managed to get small glimpses of in the dark.

Among the dead creatures he passed, Lembit saw ones with horned mask-heads and six long legs, but there were also loads of things that he could most accurately compare to very large pink leeches, complete with suction cups for mouths. Still, they were all dead, meaning something terrible must have happened.

Perhaps this was why he'd seen so few bugs up on the street?

Lembit walked through the higher walkway for some time, until eventually, he went down a steep set of stairs and saw that waterway he was now beside lead into a pipe that had light coming out of the other side. The stone wall around the passage had strange growths coming through, which looked very similar to mushrooms. Thankfully, the water was only knee-deep for him, so he dropped into the large tube and started wading towards the sewers' exit.

* * *

Even before reaching the end of the pipe, Lembit could already notice a very strong and unpleasant smell. Having stepped out of the metal tube, he found himself in a cave that, much like the tunnel wall he'd just seen, had mushrooms growing everywhere. Looking around, he saw the bowl-shaped tips of the fungus intertwined between the rocks, likely providing as much structure to the cavern as them. It was also apparent that he was standing in a giant cloud of spores, since the small dots were literally visible in the brownish light that the wall-shrooms emitted.

Lembit started walking down the mushroom-filled cave, soon reaching a small cliff with a waterfall. From the green hue and audible hissing, it was clear that it was acidic just like the rivers he'd seen near the city's border. There was thankfully enough dry room beside it, so he grabbed on to climb up.

The waterfall was fed by a small pond of acidic water atop the cliff, which he climbed onto. Surprisingly, right above it, he saw a small structure built into the rock towards the city. Carefully stepping near and looking inside, he saw that it had only one room. Weirdly enough, the only thing inside the chamber was a metal bench. Though bewildered, Lembit couldn't refuse an opportunity to sit down and rest, especially since he really needed to think about his next course of action.

Leaning against the backrest, he took off his mask. Even though it blocked off most of the smell, it also sometimes became really stuffy in there. Besides that, he had a lot to ponder about. Things didn't look good at all and it was largely his fault, which was something he hated.

He'd trusted Reed to look after himself in a cave holding things that even he hadn't seen before and had later quite amateurishly revealed himself to the guards while climbing down. Also, Lembit understood how stupid he'd been coming in with only three other men. Groom Lake wouldn't've had any reason to refuse him more troops. Hell, even a single robot would've sufficed as backup.

Still, looking at something in hindsight was stupid, especially in a situation like this. So the man started to think of things he could do next. Of course, not speaking the bugs' language was still a problem, though one he could overcome by more _unconventional_ means, though he would still have to kidnap one of them. But there was also another thing he could do, though it would've been risky.

He hadn't wanted to do it. Though he'd actually managed a few times, it was always so empowering to take care of a smaller-scale magical threat with only human skill, ingenuity and technology. To give orders to his troops and take down the threat with them.

Still, with the mistakes he'd made and the bad situation his underestimations had caused, Lembit knew that it would probably be best if he fought fire with fire this time. After all, his relationship with the world of magic didn't just extend to knowledge of it, but much further. He'd even already 'cheated' a bit when scaring away those two acid spitters.

The presence of the being that had created the energy field and was commanding the metal warriors was very present. It was clear that _it_ was the enemy here. But by _feeling_ the surroundings, he discovered that there were at least two more living things of great power in these caves. Lembit started to carefully reach out. He had to be cautious, since even though he'd learned to always hide the more _interesting_ part of his nature from such beings, trying to seek them out usually got noticed and he _really_ didn't want that right now.

And there it was. He felt one's presence somewhere slightly beyond the mushroom caves, though he noticed that it felt weak, as if diminished. Still, it was strong enough for it to be alive.

It was decided.

He'd make his way to it to get some info about these caves.

He put his mask back on and walked out of the small bench-chamber. Then, he started heading up the steep cave. As he was climbing, Lembit felt a bit of regret at the fact that he'd given away his mushrooming knife. Yes, from the glowing and the noxious smell, most of the fungus in these caves would likely not make for a very pleasant meal, but they could've had _other_ uses. Still, he hoped that it helped Reed at least a little bit, since even though the blade was small, he kept it in good condition.

The climb wasn't very hard, so without even noticing it, Lembit reached a wide ledge that lead into another cave. However, built around its mouth was a giant archway. Unlike the construction he'd seen in and under the city, this one was much more crude and even slightly threatening. Aside from being supported by visible ropes, there were what seemed to be pieces of bone strung to its pillars. It didn't help that around it there were multiple poles stuck into the ground, with cracked white masks, the likes of which he'd seen many bugs have, impaled on them.

All of it pointed at this cave likely being the home of some rather aggressive tribe or cult. While he would have otherwise gladly sneaked in and taken a look, Lembit wasn't in a very confident mood at the moment, so instead, he decided to climb even further up the vertical cavern.

Eventually, he reached the top and made his way down this new cave. There wasn't much sound except his footsteps and the distant hissing he recognized as the acidic water's. It was quiet. Almost too quiet, considering the fair bit of fauna he'd seen before in the other caves. Regardless, Lembit still kept himself on edge, since the last thing he wanted was to be spotted again.

He entered another large cave that had multiple ways leading upwards. Knowing that the being he was trying to reach resided somewhere above and to the west, which was the direction he should have been currently facing, Lembit picked a path that lead up and forward. He quickly scaled the small cliff and kept walking.

The path he was now walking down led through a kind of 'mushroom-forest', with long stalks being topped off by spotted bowls. There still didn't appear to be any animals around. Not very long after, he came to yet another fork in the road. Lembit decided to head up the higher path again.

After another short climb, the man pulled himself into a large cave, which had a lake of bubbling, hissing liquid. Looking around, he saw a wide bridge extend right over the body of hazardous water. Its design once again resembled the architecture back in the city, which was also confirmed by the fact that it lead to a doorway of a large building in the rock wall. However, Lembit immediately took cover when he saw that the entrance of the structure was guarded by two bug guards.

The building, whatever it was, lead in the direction of where he'd _felt_ the presence of the being he was seeking out, so he was going to have to find some way inside of it, preferably unseen this time. Not taking his eyes off the soldiers, the man made himself very low and snuck up to the bridge's side, which he grabbed onto. Dangling over the hissing green water, he slowly pulled himself to the other end of the lake.

Balancing on a few rocks that stuck out of the water under the bridge, Lembit looked up at the building and spotted a moderately sized shaft leading into it. It also seemed that someone else had already been using the small passage, since directly under it, there was a rusting metal panel with holes laying on the rocks, half of it submerged in the green liquid. Figuring that it was good as anything, the man decided to enter. Thankfully, it was far out of the guards' sight, letting him quietly climb up.

* * *

The shaft, which was likely for ventilation, was a bit cramped for him, but with a bit of effort, he managed to crawl through. After some time, he passed by a grated panel on the side of the duct, which offered a view of the building's interior. Lembit could see a giant hall, with the walls having multiple levels of balconies. The layout of the large room itself was harder to see, due to who were in it.

There was an entire military camp set up, with many cloth tents that likely all had sleeping bugs in them, considering how few Lembit saw around. Lined up against the wall, he could also spot a large group of the metallic fighters he'd faced in Elsewhere. He kept crawling, figuring that staying around for too long would likely not be a good idea. Soon, he finally reached the exit.

The cave he now found himself in was wholly different from the fungus-infested ones he'd been in before. Firstly, it was much more lush, with plants growing everywhere along the cave walls. Secondly, Lembit saw a thin blanket of fog cover everything, though it didn't impair vision that much. Weirdly enough however, instead of appearing white, the mist was weirdly purple.

He then noticed how high the walls seemed to go and looked up to find that he was at the bottom of a deep chasm, which was much more narrow than the one in the entrance-caves, a Canyon of sorts. So he started climbing again, since the only other path going forward lead to a visible dead end. As he made his way up, Lembit looked around the strange ravine some more and noticed another weird aspect. All over the place, there were what looked like translucent eggs sticking out from between the small leaves. Far above him, he also saw a group of _bubbles_ floating in mid-air.

Eventually, he reached a ledge that lead into a cave, which had a giant pool of acid splitting it. Thankfully, a shoddy, yet sturdy enough wooden bridge had been constructed over it, allowing Lembit to make his way across. It also seemed that the soldiers, whom he suspected to have built the crossing, had cropped some of the surrounding vines that likely used to be in the way. On the other side, he was greeted with a large ornate metal gate that lead to a stone path surrounded by plants.

He walked forward, warily looking around. Though the many types of large flowers were beautiful, a place like this was very easy to get ambushed in. Also, though the path was largely intact, Lembit noticed that the various smaller platforms, pillars and resting areas were still in various stages of disrepair. Still, it was clear he was in a garden, likely built at the order of a noble or even a royal figure.

Not soon after, the road led to a balcony overlooking a wide, deep cave. Crouching, Lembit looked down and immediately got even lower. There were three bugs stationed on thin metal platforms halfway down the cavern.

However, the identical platforms also formed a set of stairs leading to a passage in the ceiling. Crouching, the soldier walked up and through the stone hole. The upper cave had even more structure, appearing more as a building even. Stopping and focusing a bit, Lembit could _feel_ the presence of his target very clearly. Whoever they were, they were close. He'd just have to cover a little more ground.

Lembit moved through the building, which seemed to be sort of a hub for the garden and was in as much disrepair as the ones he'd seen prior. One of the rooms was even infested with the same spiky vines he'd seen before, forcing him to carefully navigate through as to not injure himself or damage his equipment. Eventually, he reached a hallway that seemed to have a thick frame adorned with spikes for some sort of gate or door, though no such thing could be seen.

After navigating yet another room completely overrun by vines, he entered a larger hall with multiple windows showing the garden outside. The grand design seemed to indicate it as once being a meeting area, though from the view, it looked far from it now. Laying on the floor were multiple corpses of bugs.

None of them looked similar to the city's solders, yet it was clear that they had all been warriors. There were many with sleek bodies, horned heads and sharp-looking claws that looked like a mantis', with one, who'd likely been their leader, being far bigger than the rest. However, one bug, whose hand was still clutching a large club, had a more stocky build and, weirdly enough, wore a giant cloth bag over their head, with two holes cut over the eyes.

Having had enough of the morbid sight, Lembit walked out of the building and down a narrow cave path, which lead to a slightly larger chamber. In the middle of this cavern overtaken by foliage, he saw his target. It looked strange, to say the least. A large black sphere that reminded him of an egg or a seed. Huge pure white tendrils, which radiated energy, sprouted from the top.

However, in front of the large structure laid more bodies. Again, there was a number of the mantis-esque bugs, but also one that caught his eye. Leaning against the black sphere, there was a corpse wearing white armor. They were right beside the entrance, almost as if they'd been guarding it, which was likely the thing that cost them their life.

* * *

The hole leading into the black structure was even narrower than the ventilation shaft Lembit had crawled through before, though it was thankfully much shorter. The inside was dark and cold. Right after the entrance, there was a drop down, followed by a tunnel, Finally, Lembit stepped into the chamber and immediately covered his eyes from the blinding light that shone down on him.

He took off his mask, then his helmet and looked at the being in the room. The sight was peculiar, but also beautiful. A figure was seated on a throne of rock, their body covered by layers of what looked like bark. From their pure white head, as well as where the legs should have been, sprouted large tendrils, which were identical to the ones he'd seen outside and extended into the walls of the chamber. From what Lembit could see, the being was bound to their spot.

As he slowly stepped closer, the figure opened their eyes, which were a shining blue, and spoke in a feminine tone that the human was sure he could hear both in his head and in his ears: "_What creature has sought out my presence? One whose home is far away from these caverns. And at a time when the ages old battle between the Old Light and Dark have ended as well. Reveal to me, who are you and for what purpose have you come to this doomed Kingdom_?"

Though he understood what the female being had just said, Lembit didn't know if she would be able to grasp his answer. Still, her small monologue had already confirmed that this 'kingdom' had suffered some disaster, though he couldn't yet understand what 'Light' and 'Dark' were.

Still, he had to give her an answer, so he said: "I am the human general Lembit Juss and I fare from a small nation in the surface world," he said, "the reason I have come down to this Kingdom is simply to combat its own aggression against my kind. I sought you out, because I figured you would be able to provide me with answers about these caves. First, though, I must ask how to call you as well."

Though it felt slightly weird, Lembit had decided to use a fancier way of speech to mirror the being's own. Thankfully, she seemed to understand him, nodding.

"_Never in my eternal life had I expected to have audience with one of your kind, human_. _I have been called many names, but for you, I wish to be known as The Lady of White_. _All around, in these caves, change has so suddenly taken place that even a higher being such as I cannot yet grasp its magnitude, yet you have told me that some force from Hallownest has started plotting against you, while bearing the title and soul of a warmonger_, _even a piece of something else._"

It wasn't a surprise that this White Lady could sense so much from him already, though it did keep him on edge. It was obvious she was centuries older than him. However, as she seemed to have spent a long time here, Lembit knew he would have to explain some things.

"Yes, I am indeed a man of war," he said, "but that is irrelevant to the moment. Three days ago, a small human settlement was invaded by constructs bearing armor of pure white, wielding large blades. I know they were under the command of one of _your_ kind, who has started to expand their influence to the surface."

At this, they White Lady's eyes showed shock. "_So it is true_," they whispered, before saying: "_It is true that my perception does not deceive me and the Wyrm, my once beloved, has returned to this world. With the Old Light and Dark vanquished, his is the opportunity to attain more power than ever before_. _If your word is that of truth, I fear he has begun to use it for goals un-noble._"

As the higher being said it, she hung her head and Lembit thought he saw a small tear roll down her eye.

"This Wyrm," he then spoke, "he is using these constructs to kidnap humans and invade. I do not care if you might have had feelings for him. He needs to be stopped. Tell me about this Kingdom and its forces."

The White Lady responded with a stern glare, saying: "_Curb your speech, general. While I sense your tale to be true and agree that the Wyrm needs to be relinquished of such corruptive power, do not think I haven't a clue of how you intend to perform such a feat, for even though you hide them skilfully, I can feel the unusual part your nature and the remnant essence of my kind you have faced_."

"That mustn't be of concern to you," Lembit responded, annoyed, "Those are things I would never wish the bugs of these caves to be a part of."

"_Yet still I am concerned for plans that _you _may have for my Hallownest, once my beloved has been stopped in one way or another. You are still a conqueror and I fear that under your rule, this Kingdom I once aided in ruling shall not fare well_."

"I would never wish harm on those that do not deserve it," the man explained, "That is another reason I came to you. Though I know my abilities, I would never be able to stand up to this alone. Before they were captured because of my mistake, I led a group of soldiers. Now it is imperative I find bugs willing to join my cause against the Wyrm and also able to rule in his stead when I leave. Does this Kingdom have any heir?"

The higher being nodded solemnly and sighed.

"_Though it pains me to conspire against my own realm, especially with one such as you,"_ she spoke, "_I must admit that you are right and that if my once beloved has started something so much like the Old Light he used to oppose, it would be best if a new ruler took his place._"

She breathed for a moment, before continuing: "_Seek out the Daughter of Deepnest, human. Though born of dalliance, her claim to the throne is firm and her abilities as a warrior are refined_."

Surprised, Lembit asked: "On the surface, a bastard child would've not been allowed to be royalty. This warrior may be skilled, but would she be able to be a ruler?"

"_Such a vulgar term if unfit when referring to her," _the White Lady responded, "_she was conceived as payment for a great sacrifice to be carried out by the beast. I consider her fit to take the Wyrm's role._"

"Good," the human said, "I'll find her and help her, then. Where does she reside?"

"_Though a tad impulsive_, _her heart was always noble, so I do not believe she would stand at the Wyrm's side willingly. Seek her out in either her birth-caves of Deepnest or the realm of the Hivelings, though be careful when braving the former, as they have posed a challenge to the fiercest of warriors_."

"Thank you," Lembit spoke, "I'll make sure to take care. However, I would still like to know of the forces the Wyrm could have under his command."

"_Very well," _the higher being said, "_In the days before I came to this refuge, my beloved had grown distant and worried, as his plans of perpetuation in order to stop the affliction had failed. He had locked himself into his palace with his countless servants and no more or less than a hundred sentries. The latter are the soldiers you, no doubt, have already faced. The numbers of his constructs, I do not know_."

"Thank you for this information," the general replied, "yet there is one more thing I wish to ask about. The language that the bugs of this land speak is not one I am able to understand. Do you know of a spell to help me with this or will I need to commit and fully learn it myself?"

"_For that, I shall provide you this_," the White Lady spoke, as a small white tendril came out from behind her back. Looking closer, Lembit saw that it held an ornate silver medallion.

"_This is a Charm of Understanding,"_ the higher being explained, "_When this Kingdom was in its prime, bugs from faraway lands would at times come here and be unable to communicate with us. My beloved and I handed these out to them and I still happened to hold one. Put it on_."

Lembit extended his hand carefully. He knew to be careful with items offered by beings such as the White Lady. However, upon touching it and trying to sense any hidden purpose, he found none. He took the item and placed it on his chest, where it stayed, its effects hopefully taking hold.

The human then turned to leave, though not before saying: "Thank you and farewell."

He walked back in the direction of the tunnel. Before he could exit however, the White Lady stopped him.

"_Wait,_" she said, causing Lembit to turn around, confused.

"_Please,_" she continued, "_Once you have made your alliance with the Daughter and marched against my Wyrm, attempt to find a way of removing his power without taking his life. I have sensed your grudges against our kind, but try to make him see reason_."

"Then you have also sensed what I've been through," the man flatly responded, "and will hopefully understand that I do not make such promises. Goodbye."

Without saying another word, he turned back towards the exit, putting on his helmet and mask. The trip had been productive to say the least. Now, he finally had time to worry about dinner.

* * *

The cave he'd found was small, but hopefully hard to find. It was in a much more overgrown area of the gardens and happened to provide enough room for a campfire, which Lembit built using twigs he found. Using his sword as a rod for the meat was slightly awkward, but doable and he just had to peel the potatoes, before eating them raw.

After the small meal, he kicked out the fire and laid down. With everything taken to account, he was quite tired. Tomorrow's plans had already been set too. He'd find this Daughter of Deepnest and she would hopefully allow him to join her. After all, she probably knew much more about the caves than he did. Most importantly, the enemy was apparently her father. Only she had the right to decide the course of action with him. Lembit was just there to help, since she had sounded a tad bit too old to be properly influenced by him.

Even if their combined skills would prove to be too little, he also had somewhat of a backup plan. It was obvious that the Americans would eventually discover what was going on and retaliate, either when the constructs started pushing out of Elsewhere or when they realized that three of their own and an allied general have gone dark. Hopefully, that would be soon and they'd arrive to provide backup. The only thing he had to really worry about was defeating the Wyrm with the Daughter.

There were also the other Americans, including his squad that he'd let the bugs capture. He honestly hoped that they were still alive, especially Adrian, whom he had some respect for due to his calm nature. Lembit wondered what hellhole he would eventually find them all in. Still, right now, it was time for sleep.

* * *

**THE PALE KING**

* * *

The humans brought to be perfected, save for one, had finally finished gaining the forms of bugs. The Pale King's servants would bring them to the city in the following day, assigning them roles needed to have Hallownest function again. The western tribes, including the mantises, had finally all been subjugated and he had used a messenger to task the Chief Scholar with creating a program to teach the younglings of those savages a more civilized way of life. Unfortunately, it seemed that the adults had been too lost, meaning those who had survived his constructs would be subject to manual labor.

The only tribe he hadn't attacked was that of the Hivelings, for he considered them advanced enough to attempt diplomacy with. Rebuilding friendly relations would no doubt also grant access to Hiveblood, which would be invaluable in feeding his troops. There'd be no reason for them to stand against him.

He also planned to order the Kingsmoulds on the surface to march onward and conquer more land, which shouldn't have proven difficult, considering the pitiful resistance that the humans gave. Still, the warriors hadn't stopped giving him trouble. Just a few hours ago, he had received word that one of the escaped soldiers had been spotted in the chasm east of the city, which caused it to flee into the Waterways. Thankfully, that seemed to indicate cowardice and stupidity, which meant that eventually, the creature would be caught anyway.

However, there was another problem. The six humans captured from the air-tram's crash site in the morning had been taken to the entrance of the caves, where a group of sentries had escorted them down to the Kingdom's Edge to be taken straight to the palace. What exactly had taken place, the Pale King did not know. All he'd been told was that four of the creatures managed to struggle free and escape, with four of his soldiers in pursuit.

However, in the end, only two soldiers escorting the human youngling and the elder had reached the palace. The king tried to entertain himself with the thought that both the humans and the sentries pursuing them had been killed by the beasts of those caves, though he would undoubtedly send search parties.

Also, his daughter had still not been found, which frustrated the Pale King greatly. He was worried that she would become too misguided and that even his magic would not be able to convince her to the right path. In that case, killing her would be unavoidable and it could've taken a long time to find someone skilled enough to replace her.

* * *

**And there we go. Some development for edgyboi in this one. I hope it didn't feel too derailed.**

**Next chapter, we'll return to Max and Hornet, as the former's training continues. R&R**


	14. Chapter 12: Training and Realizations

Chapter 12: Training and Realizations

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

Max was floating in an endless warm yellow expanse. He didn't know what it was, but it felt very comfortable and smelled of his relatives' wax, which meant security. It was made better by the knowledge that Adrian was now somewhere near too and that he was safe.

Suddenly, the surroundings started to waver and fade, coupled with a familiar-sounding voice calling out his name. Was that Hornet? Why was she trying to wake him up? Max tried ignoring it, since it seemed way too early to be getting up yet. Thankfully, the noise seemed to dissipate.

A few moments later, something cold and wet splashed over him, waking the hornet up instantly. Coughing and sputtering, he sat up in his bed to see his companion stand next to it with a stern look and a bowl in her hand.

"Hey, what gives," Max said, wiping his mask.

"I figured this would encourage you with waking up," Hornet responded, setting the bowl aside, "now come. We are already behind schedule."

She extended a hand out to Max, who pulled himself to his feet, muttering a quiet 'sorry'.

The two exited his chamber and started walking down the hallway with Hornet in the lead. Not too long after, Max decided to ask: "What're our plans for today then?"

The female, looking at him, explained: "We shall spend at least a few hours testing your endurance and strength so we can imrove. It's best if you begin wielding a weapon as soon as it is possible, but that is no easy feat and requires moderate skill. Something, which you do not have yet."

"Uh-huh," Max said, nodding. That was a lot, though he understood. A nail was invaluable in battle, especially to a male like him, since he didn't have a stinger. Though, that raised another question.

"Where's your blade," he asked, "you told me yesterday of how you fought that monster with it, yet you don't have it now."

Hornet stopped on the spot, her eyes looking saddened for a moment, before they became serious again. "That is something I do not wish to speak of," she then said and, without another word, kept walking, a puzzled Max following her.

* * *

The two walked through the early morning Hive. Despite having already been there for a few days Max still found it amazing. Of course, part of it came from the fact that it was built by his new relatives, but the otherwordly beauty of the glistening wax still had an effect on him. As they made their way to the chamber where they'd practiced yesterday, he also snuck a few glances at Hornet. He didn't understand why he did it, just that looking at her made him feel better. One thing that amazed him was how clean her cloak looked, since according to her, she'd worn it for many years. However, when he had a slightly closer look, the hornet did spot multiple stiches. That didn't detract from how nice it looked on her though. He'd definetly make it up to her for waking up late.

After making their way through a few more hallways, the two finally reached the empty chamber they'd fought in yesterday. Max had no idea what it had been for before, but he agreed that it was perfect for training. Having walked to the middle of the empty room, Hornet stopped, prompting him to do the same.

"So," he started, "what's fi-"

Suddenly, the warrior turned around with her fist flying towards Max, who was too surprised to block it. The punch connected with his midsection and knocked the breath out of him, causing him to fall to his knees.

"That wouldn't have been very hard to dodge, you know," Hornet then said.

"Was. Unexpected," Max huffed in response.

"From what I know, hornets were supposed to be hunters like my kind," the warrior continued, "that means they need to expect _everything_. Now get up and we'll try again."

She extened her hand out to him. As he was about to grab it, an idea flashed in Max's head. The next moment, he slammed his leg against her's, making her yelp and fall on her back.

"You mean like you were just doing," he sarcastically asked as he got on his feet, before seeing the anger in the warrior's eyes and immediately regretting his choice.

To his surprise, her expression then changed to just the slightest smile, as she regained her own footing.

"That wasn't bad at all," said Hornet, "you exploited my moment of unpreparedness."

"I, uh, just learned from the best," Max responded, scratching the back of his head.

The warrior seemed taken aback by that, asking: "Wait, do you truly mean that?"

"Yeah, you're the best I've seen," the hornet confessed, "besides, you just said it."

"Oh," she said, smirking and visibly readying herself, "then let us teach you more."

With that, she lunged at Max, who was ready this time. Like Hornet had recommended earlier, he tried dodging a lot more this time. Though he still got hit on about half of his tries, the hornet also managed to land a good few hits on his tutor. Despite that, he still missed a critical punch at one pont, allowing his opponent to counter it and slam him to the floor again.

"Your reactions are improving," she explained, helping him up," though there's still work to be done. Rest for a bit, then I'll show you some more important things."

Max nodded and stood up. He then walked beside Hornet and leaned against the wall.

"I told you that you may rest for a bit," the female said, looking at him.

"I am," the hornet responded, "just doing it next to you."

"Oh." Her eyes widened a bit. "Why is that?" She seemed genuinely curious.

Max felt his face become slightly warm and looked down. "Well, I just like your company."

"Very well," Hornet said in a strangely flustered tone.

Max stood silently for a while, until he decided to sneak a small glance at her again. Ge quickly turned his head, only to find her staring right back at him. Her eyes widened and she looked at the ground, which the hornet immediately mirrored, his face becoming even warmer. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Hornet's cheeks had gotten that strange pinkish hue again.

"Hey, Hornet," he said, planning on starting a conversation he hoped would remove the awkwardness of the situation.

"Yes, what is it," the female asked with a slightly wavery voice, which was the first time he'd heard it like that. Even when she had angrily spoken of the Pale King in the dungeon, her tone had been firm.

"You plan on facing the king head-on, right," the hornet quiered, looking at her.

At this, the warrior turned towards him. "_Him_," she said, her tone strong again, "of course I shall face him. We're going to do it together. We'll cut him down so you can have revenge for both the hyu-mans and hornets and I for _everything else_."

Her eyes were now lit with righteous fury.

Then, she flung her fist towards Max again. This time however, he'd learned and was ready, dodging it, before saying: "I presume this means resting time's over?"

Hornet nodded, smirking, and tried hitting him again. Max only had a moment to be thankful that the embarrassing moment they'd been a part of was over, since the next, he didn't have time to think anymore, just act and defend himself. He dodged more attacks and even tried to counter, which his companion mostly managed to block. However, just as it had become obvious that he wouldn't last much longer and Hornet was already preparing to push him on the ground again, Max placed his leg in a way that made her trip.

Her momentum was enough to make them both fall on the ground. For a few seconds, despite the pain from the impact, Max felt weirdly nice. Then, he realized what had just happened and rushed to roll out from under her, while she herself was getting up. The hornet also felt his face warm up again. So much for not being embarrassed.

"I do believe that was enough for a warmup," his tutor then said, breathing heavily, "we'll go to the archives now."

"Are we going to start reading texts this early," Max asked.

"You'll see," responded Hornet, "now come on."

* * *

She quickly turned back towards the doorway and started walking. The hornet just shrugged to himself and followed her out into the hall. This time however, he just looked ahead or at the floor, since he had too much on his mind to even try and sneak a glance at his companion again. Though he did think of her and the strange feelings he'd been having since meeting her at the bathing chamber yesterday. Max was fairly certain it was due to his change of form, but after seeing her without her cloak, he'd felt something more powerful than the friendship they'd had while in the cell and during their escape.

He tried to think about it while starting to blush again. Aside from her cloak, her figure was also beautiful, the sleek gleaming shell being complimented by the smooth, half-moon-shaped mask. She was smart and resilient, having spent many years fighting monsters and surviving on her own, but also very loyal and, despite clearly trying to hide it under her serious demeanor, had a good and dutiful heart. It helped that, like him, she was naturally a predator and warrior too and since it was clear that he'd likely never leave these caves, even after defeating the Pale King, he wouldn't have minded spending the rest of his life by her side.

Then, it finally dawned on Max.

He had feelings for Hornet.

Suddenly, things made much more sense, but were also a bit scary. The hornet didn't know a single thing about relationships, having never been in a serious one before. Heck, he didn't even know how she felt. He was sure that she thought of him as a friend, but was worried that his actions, especially awkward fall during their training session just before, were creeping her out. Worse, he didn't know anyone who he could ask for advice. How could he eve-

"Hey, we've arrived," Hornet suddenly said, looking at him. Max shook his head and saw that they had stopped at a doorway leading to a very large chamber with tall shelves. He'd been so invested in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed.

"Is everything alright," his companion then asked, "you seemed off for a moment."

"Sorry," the hornet apologised, "was thinking about something."

This caused the female to send him a sour look. "I do believe we just went over the importance of staying alert."

Max opened his mouth to apologise again, but was stopped by Hornet.

"It is alright. For now at least, we are in a safe place. Still, do try to be more vigilant in the future."

The hornet nodded with relief, to which his companion motioned for him to follow her into the large chamber they were standing in front of. Both silent, they walked between the rows of bookshelves, all while Max was trying to figure out why they had come to the archives. He knew that aside from fighting, Hornet wanted him to learn about the caves' and Hallownest's history and layout. The shelves they were passing did not have books in them however, but what looked like thick tablets of stone with writing graved onto them.

* * *

Eventually, they came to a group of Hivelings, one of whom had a brown ribbon tied around her body, much like the white one Apisia had. She was holding what looked like sheets of paper bound together and a pencil in her forelegs, while the other workers were moving around, carrying tablets off the tall shelves and into orderly stacks beside them.

The ribbon wearing Hiveling looked up from her paper and noticed them.

"Very good," she said in a strict tone, "you've finally arrived. Took you two long enough."

"_We_ apologise for any delays," replied Hornet, "but are willing to aid you in any way now." She then looked at Max with a pleading look, while saying: "Isn't that so?"

"Yeah, whatever you need," the hornet responded, before asking: "but what are we even doing here?"

"Of course," the ribbon wearer muttered, putting a foreleg against her head, "you've not even been properly told yet."

She then turned towards him, saying: "I suppose it falls onto me to explain things. You see, hornet, right now, we're standing in the older section of our archives. That is why the shelves here are only filled with stone tablets and not paper tomes, which we adopted from Hallownest."

"Okay," Max replied, nodding, "so what's the problem?"

"If you would just let me finish," the Hiveling continued, clearly annoyed, "while the newer halls have always been properly maintained, these older areas have stayed unorganized for some time. There was a planned overhaul, but I trust you're at least smart enough to know what got in the way of that."

The hornet just nodded for an answer, not wishing to say anything else. The strict bug then turned to Hornet.

"Do you remember the work I assigned for you, princess Hornet," she asked.

"Yes," the warrior, who Max could see was slightly uncomfortable with being called by a title, replied, "bottom rows of a single shelf."

"Very good," said the Hiveling, "I trust you to keep an eye on your student and make sure he does it properly. I am needed in other sections." With that, she turned around and flew away. At least half of the workers carrying the tablets seemed to sigh in relief.

Hornet moved between the tall shelves and called for Max to come as well. He followed, already starting to understand what they were meant to do.

"We shall start here," his companion said, before asking: "You _do _understand what we are doing, don't you?"

"Yeah," the hornet replied, " just gotta carry the bottom tablets out of here."

"Exactly," the female stated, nodding, "Though it is a fair bit of work, so we should start right away."

"Wait," Max asked, "you're helping too? I thought you meant this as an exercise for me."

"Of course I did, but I also promised the archivist my help," said Hornet, "besides, I doubt you would even be able to carry all of these."

She pointed at the bottom of the large shelf and Max immediately saw what she meant. Looking over the wax bookcase, it was apparent that the biggest tablets sat at the bottom, getting smaller the further up it went. It was likely the reason why the Hivelings wanted to reorganize it.

Still, it was up to them to carry the ancient blocks of knowledge out of there, so Max went for one that looked to be at least a little smaller than the others. He lifted it up with both arms and immediately understood what Hornet had been talking about when she said that they would test his strength, as the grey stone was very heavy. Beside him, the hornet heard his companion struggle as well.

He started to slowly move from between the shelves to where the other tablet-stacks were. Then, looking around, he asked: "Where do I put this?"

"Set it down beside of the shelf," Hornet spoke, "they archive keepers shall sort them later."

"Okay," said Max, putting the heavy tablet on the floor as gently as he could, before standing back up and catching his breath. His companion set her's beside it, before turning towards him, saying: "Don't rest yet, Max. If archive keepers spot you pausing, they shan't let neither of us hear the end of it."

"Alright," the hornet said, before moving back between the shelves with her to pick up another tablet. Upon having done so, he asked: "What was the deal with her anyway?"

"The archive keepers are usually like that," his companion explained, her voice strained from the weight of the load, "they're raised to be critical, strict and controlling. I suggest being on your best behaviour while around them."

They moved back out from between the shelf.

"I'll try my best," Max stated, before setting the block of stone down.

"You better," the female replied after having done the same, "the archive keepers can be very harsh, even to other Hivelings. I at times admire their persistence."

She then sighed. "Though at other times, I wish they weren't so _formal_."

"You mean like when she called you a-"

Hornet cut him off. "Please do not say it," she spoke, "that is something I have gladly left in the past."

There was a short pause, after which Hornet said: "We shouldn't talk so much, it's distracting."

Max nodded, seeing that the subject had been uncomfortable for her.

They both went back to the shelf, neither of them saying anything else. The hornet now had to focus more on actually carrying the tablets, of which there was a lot of. Aside from being wide, the shelves were also deep. He had to be thankful for his changes, as the natural strength of a hornet was what seemed to make it possible for him to pick up the stone blocks. Still, after having carried a few more, he started to feel fatigued.

Despite this, he kept going, his friend doing the same, though she seemed to be getting worn out as well. Thankfully, over time, the stack beside the shelf actually started to grow as they carried the tablets out. Eventually, there was only one left: the largest, which he and Hornet had both avoided until then.

Max was leaning against the shelf, catching his breath and the warrior stood beside him, doing the same. Just as the hornet had properly stood up and was about to pick up the tablet, his friend stopped him.

"You mustn't bother yourself with this one, Max," she said, "I do not want you to tire yourself too much."

"No, it's fine," the hornet responded, "I think I can do it. Besides, you're tired as well."

"That may be true," Hornet spoke, "but I wish to save you the trouble."

Max was taken aback. "Really," he asked.

"Yes," the female said, picking up the heavy object. Unfortunately, it appeared to be too wide for her to properly carry, causing her to almost lose balance. Max jumped forward and caught its' other side in his arms.

Breathing heavily, Hornet looked at him from behind the tablet and said: "T- Thank you."

"Hey, no problem. This thing's crazy," Max answered, peeking back at her.

"Agreed," said the warrior, "I struggle to imagine what is even written on it."

Max looked back at the tablet and noticed that the text-side was facing him. "I think it's some kind of speech or declaration," he stated, looking at some longer triumphant sounding words."

"Wait, you can understand it," Hornet asked.

"Yeah, it's just writing," Max replied, starting to breathe slightly heavier. The weight of the tablet was starting to get to him.

"But that doesn't make-," the warrior started before cutting herself off, "no matter. We shouldn't waste any more time with this." Her breathing had become stronger as well.

"Agreed," said the hornet, relieved, though not a lot. They both started slowly moving towards the other tablets. It was slightly awkward for Max, as he had to walk backwards, but they eventually they managed to make it out. With a last effort, the two set the large tablet down besides the others.

Relieved, Max sat down on the ground, catching his breath. Hornet, despite panting almost as much, remained on her feet. A few moments later, she extended her hand to him, saying: "Thank you, Max. I've no idea what I was even trying over there."

"Hey, it's no problem," the hornet responded, pulling himself to his feet, "we got it here in one piece."

Hornet smiled. "Well, you're right about that. We did," she stated and, for a moment, they just looked at each other. Suddenly, Max noticed that he was still holding onto her hand. He pulled it away with a small jerk, once again feeling himself blush.

"Still," his friend said, clearing her throat, "I'd like to know how you were able to read the writing on that tablet."

"Oh, that," Max asked, looking at the stone block, "I didn't really read it, just looked at some of the words. Why's that weird?"

"Because it's written in the Hivelings' old way," Hornet replied, "it is a style that they haven't used for a long time. Even I cannot read it."

"Really," the hornet spoke, mildly surprised, "It looks readable to me, just a bit small." Whatever Hiveling had written it seemed to have tried to cram on as many words as they could.

"Strange," Hornet stated, "perhaps it is another side effect from your change."

"Yeah," Max agreed, "Let's just leave it at that."

His companion nodded. "Yes, I think that would be best for now," she replied.

"Follow me," she then said, beginning to walk down the long hall. Max started to follow her, but noticed that they were heading a different direction than where they came from.

* * *

"So, uh, what're we doing now," he quiered as they walked past the Hivelings working between the shelves.

"Simple," Hornet replied, "You shall wait at the archives' other entrance while I go and collect nails for us."

"Wait," Max asked, "we're doing that already?" He was still tired from moving the tablets and hadn't expected to move on to weapons this quickly anyway.

"Yes," the warrior stated, "I believe it is a good time for you to try one."

The hornet tried to protest. "But we jus-"

"Exactly," his friend explained, "we've both just done a fair amount of work. If you can carry a nail like this, then you can carry one rested."

"Okay," said Max, nodding, understanding her point.

"Besides," Hornet continued, "you are having it easy. During my training, I was made to carry a sack of bricks for an hour before I was given a nail and forced to protect myself from a much more skillful Weaver's attacks."

Max stopped on the spot, making his companion to do the same.

"Wha- wow, okay," he breathed out, surprised, "that sounds excessive. How'd you even survive that?"

"With a few minor shell-cracks," Hornet replied as if it was nothing.

She then noticed the awe and slight fear on Max's face.

"Do not worry," she said," It was in a different time and in Deepnest. My mother's subjects favor toughness above all else. I would never put _you_ through something like that."

"Thank you," Max said with relief, "I don't think I could stand my ground for a second before you skewered me in a nailfight."

It was Hornet's turn to look surprised. "Why would you think I'd do something like that," she asked, "you are my- I'd never try to hurt you, Max."

"Sorry," the hornet apologized, "that was a bit too harsh."

"Indeed it was," his tutor agreed, before saying: "besides, you've already considerable skill in weaponless fighting are. I do not care if it is your natural instinct or another effect from the mask, it makes me proud and happy for you."

"Wait, you really mean that," Max asked, feeling himself blush again.

Hornet nodded and he noticed that the pinkish hue appeared on her mask again. For the next few seconds, they just stood in the hall, as the busy Hivelings worked to move the tablets around them.

Then, his companion said: "We should go. This feels like stalling and I don't want you getting _too_ rested."

"Yeah," the hornet agreed, "I'll just wait at that entrance you told me about."

They started walking past the shelves again, while Max's mind was still trying to piece together what she'd just said to him moments before. However, as they made their way to the 'newer section' of the giant library, he also made sure not to fall too deeply into thought like before. Still, it made him feel very happy that his admittedly instinctual skills were already good enough to impress Hornet.

After a little while, the tablets filling the surrounding shelves started to be replaced by very large, heavy-looking books. Tables also started to appear, which were being used by multiple Hivelings to support the enormous tomes they were reading. Then, they finally reached the exit of the archive. Just beside it, Max spotted the brown ribbon-wearing worker who'd spoken with them before.

A moment later, she noticed them as well, approaching with a sour look.

"I take it that you're finished," the archive keeper said.

"Yes, we are," Hornet answered.

"Took you long enough," muttered the Hiveling, before stating: "Very well, you're free to go."

"Okay, I'll stay here," Max spoke after she'd flown away, "How long will you take?"

"Hopefully around half an hour," Hornet responded.

"What," the hornet asked, taken aback, "why so long."

"Well," his tutor said, suddenly sounding nervous," the, uh, chamber where the Hivelings store nails and the like is still quite far from here. I shall try to make haste."

"Okay," Max replied, nodding.

"I'll try to make it short," Hornet called as she exited through the doorway.

"Alright," the hornet responded, before leaning against the wall and sighing. He still had quite a lot on his mind, mostly about her. He now felt even more nervous, since it seemed his handling of the rather uncomfortable situations they'd gotten in had really made her feel awkward. Worse, it felt like he had no one to talk with about it. All of the Hivelings he knew of were females and his uncle, who he did want to meet today, but to talk of other things, had been single for his entire life as far as he knew.

Max just didn't know what to do about his feelings, which was why he decided, for the time being, to try and not focus on them. He still had quite a lot of training to go through with Hornet and he could try and be less awkward with her. It seemed that she still needed some help with the ghosts of her past. He could at least give that.

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

Hornet hadn't been entirely truthful when she'd told Max that it would take half an hour for her to fetch the nails they needed to continue his training and it wasn't something she was proud of. Lying was dishonorable, but she also just couldn't tell him the reason why she was taking such a long detour.

Hornet felt confused about her own feelings for Max. While they'd had a pleasant friendship before reaching the Hive, mostly developed from the common goal of surviving, though also due to his simple friendliness, it now strangely seemed like something _more_ and the warrior didn't know what it was.

It irritated her, which was why she was now heading to where queen Vespa resided to ask for guidance. She hoped to be done with it sooner rather than later however, since the armory chamber was actually situated fairly close to the hall where the royal Hiveling's body stood, allowing her to hopefully make it back to Max a bit earlier than promised.

She walked hurriedly towards the entrance corridor, passing a guardian patrolling the area. Weirdly enough, Hornet found herself getting more and more nervous. For one, while she did feel that her problem was at least somewhat urgent, she also hoped that she wouldn't be intruding on something of greater importance. Thankfully, that turned out to be true, as only Vespa hovered above the walkway.

Upon hearing her enter, the spectral Hiveling turned around, a warm smile on her face.

"Good day, Hornet" she greeted the warrior, "I was not expecting you. Is something the matter?"

"Hello, queen Vespa," Hornet replied with a slight bow of her head, "I've come because I need hel- guidance. I need guidance."

"Indeed it appears so," spoke Vespa, "It is very much unlike you to stumble on your own words. Please, tell me what is wrong."

Even though she was alone with her friend and teacher, Hornet felt increasingly nervous. Still, she nodded, before saying: "It is about Max. When we were held prisoner, our shared plight allowed us to become friends. After he gained his new form however, my feelings towards him have changed and it's confused me greatly." As she spoke, her tone became more and more unsure.

"I know that the Infection's disappearance has done away with the suppression of emotion I and a few others suffered for many years," Hornet continued, "but I know not of how I feel about Max anymore."

"I see," said Vespa, nodding. Then, with a small smirk, she spoke: "That explains why your face was red after that mock battle you two had yesterday."

Hornet's eyes widened. "You noticed that," she said.

"Of course I did," the Hiveling replied, "and I believe I know what it is that's troubling you." She paused, before asking: "Tell me, what has you worried most about it?"

Despite not understanding why she'd suddenly asked that, Hornet responded: "I fear that these strange feelings may cause me to alienate Max and become a problem in our training and," she sighed, "be an obstacle in our friendship."

"You fear pushing him away because of it," Vespa stated.

"Yes," the warrior continued, "I've only known him for a little, yet have come to enjoy and desire his company. Being around Max _feels_ good."

"And why is that," her friend asked.

"He is very trusting," Hornet replied, though the sudden questions were starting to annoy her, "more so than any bug I have met and he's also willing to learn the ways of battle from me."

She then sighed, before quietly adding: "And I find that his new form looks good."

"Indeed," said Vespa, "I understand now."

"Then tell me," the warrior pleaded, "please. I wish to know so I can properly deal with it."

"Hornet," the queen spoke, "what you feel for Max is love."

"Love?" She, of course, was familiar with the term. It was what she felt as a hatchling during short time she'd gotten to spend with her mother. It was also what being with the Weavers had made her feel. Before the last of the spiders left for their old home, they told her to always have love for her home in Deepnest, no matter what its' inhabitants may say or do to her.

However, when the Infection took over and Hornet was left alone, she only had determination to protect Hallownest's ruins. She also never felt actual love for the Pale King, only the respect that all bugs were expected to show him.

"Yes," the queen softly responded, "and that is a good thing."

"How? I know nothing of this sort of thing," Hornet said, "not even my mother did."

"Oh, but she did," Vespa explained with a chuckle, "years ago, long before you were born or the Infection manifested, Herrah ruled Deepnest with a partner, whom she loved."

"Yes, I know we also had a king," the warrior said, nodding, "but no record I learnt from mentioned anything of his relationship with my mother."

"Hornet, I feel as though sometimes you forget what the denizens of your home are like," Vespa spoke.

After a moment, the warrior's eyes widened, as she understood the implication. Deepnest was a place where _showing_ friendliness or even any sort of attraction out in the open was a strong taboo, though it didn't mean that such things weren't done in private. Of course, a small exception to this were the Weavers, but even they preferred to focus on survival, which was likely why they hadn't told her of her mother and the king.

"Sadly," the Hiveling continued, "the king of Deepnest was killed in some battle even I don't remember anymore, leaving your mother devastated and without the means for an heir. When you were born, her fate was already sealed and she did not have the chance to watch you grow old enough to be told of this part of life."

"I see," Hornet spoke, her head hung. Then, a question reared its' head in her mind. "Vespa," she asked, to which the Hiveling hummed inquisitively.

"Why didn't you tell me of those things before," the warrior continued, "we've known each other for so many years."

Vespa sighed, before explaining: "Because it was something I could never give you guidance over, even during your first youth. Hallownest and the tribes fell so quickly and you were left alone. I saw no point in teaching you, as you needed more aid with becoming the ruins' guardian."

"Very well," Hornet said, "I ask of you to offer me that guidance now."

"Still, I sadly cannot," the queen replied, "Though my years have given me the experience to recognize romantic love in bugs from other tribes and races, the nature of us Hivelings makes it so we can only feel it towards our home and great family. You've read of how we reproduce."

Despite being disappointed, Hornet nodded with understanding. She knew the process and how it was different from the other kinds of bugs. Still, that left her with many questions that she had to answer on her own.

"Can you at least tell me how I should be with Max," she asked.

"Sadly, Hornet," responded Vespa," I can only recommend that you try to suppress these feelings for now. I know the release from the Dreamers' spell has made your mind younger, but I also know that you are still strong."

Then, with a smile, she added: "Besides, you are friends already and Max needs a trainer. Until you can find better answers, you should simply try to keep it this way."

Hornet nodded with understanding. "I will," the warrior said, "thank you, Vespa."

"You are welcome," the royal Hiveling replied, "though I believe you should be on your way soon. The worker in the armory is expecting you and has already begun asking when you shall be present."

Hornet's eyes widened. She'd still almost lost track of time. "Then I'll head there right away," she spoke, "good bye."

"Good bye," the Hiveling replied warmly, "remember that you can always come to me when you need advice."

Hornet walked into the corridor, where she broke into a run. She needed to make haste, after all. There were, of course, questions she still had, but Vespa had been right when she'd said that they were unreachable for the time being. Her focus belonged to other things, like training. It was definitely going to be a little difficult to stay undistracted around her friend, but she was still the protector of Hallownest. With her mind eased, she quickly made it out the corridor and to another side of the hall, where she entered the rather small armory.

* * *

The Hive was one of those tribes that did not usually carry or use weapons made of metal or wood, instead opting to use those they naturally had. Like most bugs, their claws could be really sharp, but their stingers, especially those of the soldiers, were also hazardous, despite often causing injury when used in battle. Still, nails and needles of all types had often been used in trading between tribes and Hallownest, meaning that an armory had been built in the Hive. It was so small that rather than having a designated Hiveling keep watch, multiple workers took turns.

The one currently stationed there flew up to Hornet.

"You've finally arrived," she cheered. From her tone and size, it was obvious it was one of the younger, more excitable workers.

"I have, yes," the warrior said, "I trust that you have nails I requested be reserved for us."

"yes, yes," the small Hiveling replied, rapidly nodding, "even a dummy." She pointed at the corner, where a moderately tall wooden statue of a bug stood. It had been visibly used, with multiple sting marks.

"Good," Hornet said, "can you take me to the nails now?"

The worker nodded and motioned for her to follow. They navigated between the rows of nail racks, which were as orderly as the shelves in the archive, until stopping at one without much difference from the others.

"Is this good," asked the worker, pointing at one of the blades in the rack.

"It seems to suffice," replied Hornet, picking it up, "but I'll have a closer look."

"Okay," spoke the Hiveling, "I'll be right back." She then flew somewhere over the armor stands, leaving the warrior to examine the nail. It looked acceptable, with a smooth surface, sharp edge and good enough weight balance, though it wasn't anything special. Still, it was perfect for a beginner like Max.

She then heard the small worker's buzzing get closer again and looked towards her, already beginning to ask about the nail left for her. However, Hornet stopped when she saw what the Hiveling was holding.

"I'm back," she said, "the queen told to give this to you."

In her forelegs, there was a long, yellow blade that Hornet immediately recognized as a Honey Needle, a weapon once used by the Hive queen's loyal Hive Knights. It was very thin and _looked_ sharp. For a few moment's she looked at the beautiful needle.

"Can you take it now," the worker then asked, "it's getting heavy for me."

"Oh. Of course," Hornet responded, before setting down Max's new nail and taking the needle into her hands, doing her best to keep them from shaking with anticipation. Holding it, she noticed it surprisingly felt a bit heavier than the Weavers' nail had, likely due to the enchantments done to the latter.

Firmly grasping the needle by its' short, non-sharp handle, Hornet gently waved it around, before looking at the worker.

"You like it," the Hiveling asked.

"Yes, thank you," she replied, "I- Please inform the queen that I am very grateful."

The worker nodded happily. Then, she helped Hornet tie both the needle and nail into a bundle with some rope, which the warrior easily slung across her back. However, the wooden training statue was so big that she had to carry it in her arms. With the supplies received, she started walking out of the armory.

"Have a nice day," the Hiveling called after her.

"You as well, little one," Hornet responded, before exiting back into the great hall.

She had to hurry back to Max, since she'd already wasted a lot of time. It was made slightly more difficult by the weight she was carrying, but thankfully not by much.

A part of Hornet still couldn't believe that queen Vespa had decided to gift her with a Hive Knight's weapon. Before the Infection, the Knights were regarded as some of the best warriors amongst the tribes. As the only males within the Hive, they'd been meant to not only ensure the Hive's continued existence with the queen, but to also be her most loyal guardians. Though they had lacked wings and stingers, their strength, speed and deadly precision with the nail had made up for it. Receiving one's weapon was a great honor.

* * *

As she quickly made her way down the path back to where she'd left Max, grasping the training statue, Hornet rounded a corner and saw a somewhat familiar figure. It was Max's hyu-man uncle, who was following a Hiveling in the same direction she was going. Hornet hastened her pace and caught up with the two, who stopped and turned around, having heard her footsteps.

"Hello," the warrior greeted.

"Hey," the hyu-man said, "it's you. Hornet, right?"

"Yes, that is my name" the bug replied, "I take it that you're heading to meet Max as well?"

"Yeah, haven't seen him all morning" the male spoke, before pointing at the charm attached to his midsection-garment, "this thing's really useful."

"Agreed," stated Hornet, "conversing is much easier when we can understand each other."

The hyu-man chuckled. "I guess you're right," he then said, "You two have been up for some time, haven't you."

"Of course," the warrior replied, "we've been training the whole morning."

"Oh, that." Adrian's smile faded slightly. "And this stuff you're carrying is for that too, right," he asked, to which Hornet nodded.

"You know, I still really don't like this," he said, "you said that Max was going to be safe, but those are real weapons."

"Yes, they're real blades. Why wouldn't they be," spoke Hornet, "They're perfect for training."

"Yeah, training," replied the hyu-man, "training for a small war."

"You don't understand," argued the warrior, "I presume that your surface world is much safer, but here, it is a necessity to fight. It is in all our bloods, now in Max's as well. And you sound as though I would _wish_ harm on him, which I would never do. He's my friend!"

She breathed heavily, now agitated. Then, she saw shock on Adrian's face and that his Hiveling guide even looked a bit scared.

"Hey, no need to get angry," the hyu-man quietly said, "I'm sorry if I came across as harsh."

"No, no," Hornet replied, "_I _must apologize for that outburst. It was very unfitting."

"Okay," agreed Adrian, "I just wasn't sure you cared that much about him."

The warrior nodded, before heading down the corridor again.

"If you wish, we can talk more of this later," she began, "for now, I wish to actually get back to Max. I've stalled enough already."

"Okay," replied the hyu-man, "I'm just heading to wherever he is anyway."

Not soon after, the three finally made it to the main entrance of the archive, where the hornet was leaning against the archway and staring at the ceiling high up. Internally, Hornet prepared herself. She was going to live up to the promise she'd made to Vespa.

"Hey, Max, how're you doing," the hyu-man called to the hornet.

He looked down and noticed them, responding: "Morning, Adrian. You got that charm thingy"

"Yeah, comes in handy too."

"That's great," Max laughed, before looking at the warrior. "Hornet, you took pretty long. Everything alright?"'

"Yes," Hornet replied, "and I'm sorry for staying so long. It must've been very dull here."

"Nah," the male said, "wasn't that bad. You need any help with that stuff?" He pointed at the statue she was carrying.

"Your concern is appreciated, but now," she responded, "I am fine."

Max nodded, before asking: "Alright, so we're heading back to the chamber?"

"We don't have to immediately," spoke Hornet, "you can talk with your uncle if you want."

The hornet was silent for a moment, unsurely looking at Adrian. "I don't know," he then said, "I want to get back in the fray already, but I don't know if you'll be okay with that."

The hyu-man nodded. "Max, I can see you want to test out those new toys your friend's got," he replied, "and she said that it's normal for you now."

Max sighed and looked relieved.

"_But_," Adrian continued, "I'll come as well. I want to see how exactly Hornet trains you and later, we'll talk, alright?"

"Yeah," Max said, "that works." He then expectantly looked at Hornet.

"Very well," she agreed, "but I'll trust you to remain at the side."

"Of course," the hyu-man agreed, "I won't get in the way."

"Splendid," Hornet stated, her tone cheerful, "let us not waste any more time then." While she did want to make up for being late, the weight of the training statue was also starting to become apparent and she wanted it out of her hands as fast as possible.

* * *

They all started heading towards the training chamber, with Adrian's small Hiveling companion following as well. Hornet walked in the front, despite the weight she was carrying. They soon entered the room, with the hornet and spider going forward and the hyu-man staying at the door with his guide.

Hornet finally set the statue down in the chamber's center and huffed with relief. Then, she turned towards Max and started to unbundle the needle and nail.

"You do understand that I'm not at all tired from lifting those stones anymore," the hornet jokingly asked.

"Then I'll simply have to find something even harder for us to do tomorrow," the warrior casually responded, her fingers rapidly untying the rope.

"Like what," said Max, grinning.

"Just take this," Hornet huffed, slightly annoyed, before handing the nail to him.

Max grabbed it by the handle with both arms and for a moment, just stared at it, his eyes suddenly determined.

"This thing looks amazing," he muttered.

"Yes, and it is deadly too," added the warrior, now wielding her own needle, "I'll let you try it first."

Still holding it with both arms, which was something Hornet would have to educate him on later, Max walked towards the wooden statue. Right in front of it, he stopped and stood for a few moments, before swinging it at the dummy. Despite leaving a visible new gash, the blow did not knock it over. That was because its' base actually had a few stone weights attached to keep it from doing so.

However, the hornet then let out a low growl and swung at it, this time with much more visible force. This time, the hit was strong enough that the statue actually fell on its' side. Max looked back at Hornet with a wild and victorious smile.

"How was it," he asked.

"Not bad," the warrior replied, moving to set the dummy back upright, "though lacking any precision."

"I got it," Max said, "that's something."

"You might've," Hornet replied, putting some distance between herself and the now standing statue.

She then smirked. "But watch _this_."

She set her needle at the ready and dashed forward with ferocious speed, feeling her weapon hit the phony enemy. Having stopped, she looked back at her student, who was staring in awe, then at the wood bug and its' head, which was now rolling on the ground.

"This is what you can do with proper precision," she said.

"Yeah, that was really good," the hyu-man commented from beside the also awestruck Hiveling, "but what about the head?"

Looking at the wooden circle, it took a moment for her to realize what he'd meant. Then, her eyes widened.

"Oh no."

"Hey, it's okay," Max encouraged, "we'll just slash the body. Nothing to worry about."

Despite knowing the embarrassment that was going to be returning the beheaded dummy, her friend's positive words still made Hornet smile. She still had her edge and lethality and looking at the hornet, it wouldn't take long for him to have something similar either.

"Very well," she said, "let us continue."

Defeating that pale being was going to be easy.

* * *

**So here's a chapter focused on our lead bugs' feelings. I tried my best not to make it corny (it probably still is). Still, now you get to make fun of my amateurish attempt at writing romance.**

**Sadly, in the coming week, I'm going to spend a few days away so it'll probably mean that the next chapter will be shorter or even postponed.**

**Still, I hope you enjoyed this one. R&R**


	15. Chapter 13: Talks and a Meeting

Chapter 13: Talks and a Meeting

* * *

**ADRIAN**

* * *

Watching Max and his bug friend practice fighting was interesting to say the least. The young man seemed to be hitting the target dummy quite forcefully, considering it apparently was his first time using the strange sword-like weapon that Hornet had called a nail. It made him believe more and more about what the female creature had said before about battle being natural to him now and Adrian didn't know what to think of that.

Atleast the tiny bee (or Hiveling as they seemed to call themselves, though it sounded weird to him) seemed to be entertained, watching the action in the room with those wide, black eyes of her's. She was very silent and also young, being part of this Hive's newest generation and not even having a name for some reason.

After he'd woken up, purely from his internal clock, as there weren't any ringtones or alarm clocks, Adrian had gotten up from the short bed and put his clothes on. He'd then decided to look outside of his rather small chamber, only to have come face to face with the tiny bee, who'd been waiting with something that looked like a very large pin, which she had offered to him.

He'd remembered Max telling about some kind of 'charm' being delivered to him and accepted the large ornament. Upon doing so, the bug had motioned for him to put it on, as it had a blunt hook on the backside. As he attached it to his shirt, Adrian had expected to feel strange or even hurt like he had when the queen cast that 'spell' on him, but instead there wasn't anything.

"You understand," the bee had suddenly asked in a quiet, squeaky voice, somewhat catching the man off guard.

"Yes, yes I do," he'd answered, "thank you for this, uh, thingie. It's gonna help a lot."

"Good that you like," the small bug had said, with an expression that he somehow understood was a smile, "can talk now, hyu-man."

"Yeah," Adrian had said, not bothering to correct the pronounciation, as it had sounded kind of cute. "What's your name," he'd then asked.

"Have no name yet," the bee had replied, "am too young. Sisters sent me to help you get to places in home."

"Alright then," the human had said, not really understanding why she didn't have a name.

After they'd gotten acquainted, Adrian had, at first, thought of going to get breakfast, but had then realized that he didn't feel hungry at all. Varily brushing it off as an effect of the surprisingly good honey-esque stuff he'd been offered yesterday, he'd instead asked what time it was and had been surprised to find out it was to be midday soon. The man had figured he'd just go to meet his nephew and his little new friend had used some kind of mind-connection to ask the other bees where he was.

As it turned out, Max had been at the entrance to the Hive's library and with the bee in lead, they'd started heading towards it through the golden-yellow hallways of the giant beehive. Despite having seen quite a lot of them yesterday, the man had still found himself in awe at the otherworldly corridors and halls.

Soon enough, they'd heard footsteps, which had been strange, since the bees visibly preferred flying over walking. Turning around, Adrian had seen Max's bug companion who'd tackled him yesterday carrying a wooden statue, with a bundle of what looked like swords tied around her back. Adrian had remembered the mentioning of some sort training yesterday and and this had made him even more wary.

After he'd asked her if he'd remembered her name correctly (which he thankfully had done), Hornet had said that she too was heading to meet Max. While his bee friend had stayed silent on the side, their small conversation had quickly grown into an arguement, as Adrian, perhaps too bluntly, had voiced his concerns about the bugs training his nephew for what seemed to be a small civil war brewing.

At that, the bug warrior had become angry and said that it was now in Max's _blood_ to fight. She'd also insisted that he was her friend and that she would have never wished harm on him. Taken aback by Hornet's outburst, Adrian had quickly asked her to calm down, apologising for the way he'd put things. Thankfully, the insect herself had managed to do so, also saying sorry for her sudden anger.

Soon, they'd made it to a large doorway, where Max was waiting, visibly bored. After noticing them however, he'd livened up and said hello to Adrian, before speaking with Hornet. Even from the side, the man had been able to see that he was at least somewhat excited at the idea of continuing the _training_. It'd been even clearer when he'd gotten torn between leaving with the bug and staying with the human for the talk he had promised him yesterday.

Wishing to ease his nephew's mind, but also wanting to see what these training sessions actually represented, Adrian had allowed him to go with Hornet on the condition that he was allowed to come with. He'd gladly agreed, with Hornet doing the same, though not without a few words of sensible warning. They'd then begun heading towards the room, with the female bug taking the lead, Adrian having noticed her being just the littlest bit strained, likely from the statue she was planning to use during their training.

After arriving at the empty room, the man had stayed at the doorway with his little friend and hadn't moved from there since. Aside from the small quip he'd made when Hornet had, most likely accidentally, decapitated the training dummy at the very start, he also hadn't said anything else.

The man was getting surprised at how energetic his nephew was, as the session had seemed to be going on for over half an hour now. He was even getting a bit sore from standing in place for so long. Max and his companion's continued slashes at the air or the dummy were basically uninterrupted, aside from stopping him every now and then for Hornet to speak some more about his style and other technical stuff, which Adrian didn't really listen to. He never cared about sword fighting.

* * *

Still, things seemed to have begun winding down, as Max soon placed his weapon against the wall and approached his friend.

"You think we should take a break," he asked her, "I'm kind of getting worn out." The room was small enough for the man to clearly hear what they were saying.

"I agree," the bug replied, "this has already been a fairly productive session. Besides, you wished to speak with your uncle before. You can go. I'll seek you out soon."

"Alright. I'll see you later. I'll leave the nail here, right?"

Hornet nodded and Max began heading towards Adrian, who was honestly surprised at how considerate she'd been, considering how her usual attitude was. Still, he'd also anticipated finally getting to talk with his nephew, so he was thankful.

"Hey, Adrian, how was that," Max asked with a lively voice right after he'd reached him, "amazing, right?"

"Heh, I don't even know what to say to that," the human replied, "you were moving non-stop there. Did a really big number on your dummy too." Indeed, after the hour long training session, the wooden statue, which Adrian hadn't really seen any markings on, looked considerably worse, with slashes all over it, not to mention the missing head. He was actually a bit surprising that it still held together.

"Yeah, we did," the young man agreed, his voice getting a twinge of aggressiveness, "pummeled that thing into the ground."

Adrian nodded warily, before saying: "So you're really willing to go through with this, aren't you?"

"Yes," Max responded, "and I think I'm doing a great job too."

"As I said, I can't really judge that," the human spoke, "I can just tell you to try and be careful."

"Don't worry," his changed relative said, "I'll be fine."

"Just saying that isn't going to cut it," sighed Adrian, "but I'll take it for now. Listen, I'm feeling a bit tired from standing here this long and you were going at that thing all this time. You want to sit down somewhere?"

"Oh, yes, that's a good idea," his nephew replied, nodding, "but where're we going?"

"Don't know. I'll ask," said Adrian, turning towards the little bee, before asking: "do you know any place where we could sit down."

"Sit, rest," the small bug asked, putting one of her forelegs where her chin would've been. "Ah, I know," she then squeaked, "old chamber where Knights used to be has sitting things. We can go there."

"That sounds good enough," the human replied, "lead the way, then."

They once again began journeying through the Hive. However, while walking, Adrian talked to the young man a bit.

"You know, Max," he started, "I kind of agreed with your friend about your slashes back there. They looked pretty inaccurate. Why didn't you try to be more, I don't know, pin-pointy, like she was?"

"I thought about it at first," explained the changed boy, "but then didn't really feel like it. T'was like something in my head told me it would be more satisfying to just slam thing to the floor and it _was_. It felt _good_."

Adrian was just about to answer, when their small guide stopped beside a door, pointing towards it.

"There it is," she said, "Knights' room was off limits before, but now they have passed and we are allowed inside."

"Alright," replied Adrian, "are you staying outside or coming with?"

At this, the bee looked confused. "What you mean," she asked, Am staying outside. Why would I come in?"

"Well why not," the human spoke, "you are assigned to us, well, me. And it must get slightly tiring flapping those wings all the time."

The small bug sent a sad smile his way. "Am glad that you mean well, hyu-man," she started, "but as workers we all need to be always ready. We rest when getting sleep."

"Oh, I see. Sorry." Adrian looked at her and sighed. He understood. Duty was duty after all, especially in a place like this where every resident always had a given role. Work getting in the way of other things wasn't that much of a frequency for him, but it'd still happened at times.

He turned towards the door, one of the only ones he'd seen in this Hive that wasn't simply a hole in the wall, and said: "Come on, Max. Let's see what's inside." To which his nephew nodded as they pushed the heavy slab of wax open.

* * *

Inside, they discovered a moderately sized room with some more of the yellow lanterns giving light. In the middle of the room stood a fairly large table that was, funnily enough, shaped like a hexagon, with each side having a fancy looking wax chair against it. Whoever these Knights once were, Adrian thought, they must've been important. Both Max and him approached and pulled two chairs from under the table, before sitting down. The seats were surprisingly comfortable for being made of wax.

"This ain't so bad," the human said.

"Yeah," Max responded, leaning further into his chair, "good place to have a break."

"Sure is," agreed Adrian, before asking: "so what've you been doing today, 'sides training."

"Well," his nephew spoke, "I don't know if it counts, but we helped the Hivelings to start sorting some older texts in their archives."

"Okay," said the human, "so you moved a few books around."

"They weren't books," the young man continued, "they were stone tablets. Really old, I'm telling you. Heavy too. Hornet had to help as well"

"So, you pull through," Adrian asked, feeling surprised and kind of proud that the kid took on a job that honestly sounded fairly rough.

"It wasn't _too_ bad," Max said, looking at the table, "we carried a pretty good number of them."

"That's good," the human complimented, "you did good."

"Yeah," his nephew replied, smiling, before saying: "Hey, your guide cut you off before in the hall. What else did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, that," said Adrian, remembering where their conversation had left off, "Well, it just kind of irked me that _something_ in your head told you to hit harder. What'd you mean by that?"

"Nothing much," the young man hastily replied, before sighing. "It's just that I'm a bug now and I think that means instincts are more important now," he explained, "Hornet said that's why I'm already kind of able to fight."

Adrian frowned. It was clear that his nephew's way of thinking was still somewhat changed and he didn't like it.

"So it did mess with your mind a bit," he said.

"Not a lot," Max responded, "besides, I think it'll help."

The human raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Max spoke, "you remember that flying thing that bit me back in town?"

Adrian nodded. Had been a good thing that Kent was a good shot.

"It came from here," the boy continued, "Actually, Hornet told me that some of these caves were crawling with thingies like that. Some even worse. So being a hunter could pay off."

The human nodded. At least from that perspective, it made sense, though he still didn't like it. However, he struggled to imagine things worse than that oversized aggressive horsefly that'd attacked them. Suddenly, he decided to ask something else.

"These caves we're in," he said, "she tell you about these yet? How big are they?"

"I don't know for sure," Max responded, "though from what I can gather, they're pretty huge and diverse too. Yesterday, she told me of some caverns that're supposed to have giant fungi in them."

At that, Adrian tried and failed to stifle a chuckle. Giant mushrooms?

"Huh," he then said, "sounds, uh, interesting."

"I know, right," agreed Max, "I'm already edging to get out of the Hive and go explore around in them."

At least the boy was willing to be productive. Still, there was a problem

"You know, there're still those guards," the human reminded him, "even if you train hard, I doubt you'll be able to take them all on."

"Hornet will be with me," the boy replied, "She says that there is no one in these caves who could beat her."

"Yes, but remember to watch _her _back as well, a'right," Adrian reminded him.

"I will, I promise," Max replied in a firm tone, "that's what friends do, right?"

At that, the man simply nodded, smiling.

"Still nervous 'bout you going to fight that _god-_king, though," the human then began with a frown, "why don't we just wait for the army to arrive so the general can deal with this."

"I- I don't think that's a good idea," said Max, "this is our fight."

"Why," asked Adrian, raising his eyebrow again, "they got the firepower to deal with this. Besides, the general told me he's dealt with all this magic stuff before."

"I don't trust the sound of that," answered the young man, prompting a questioning look from the human.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Max asked, a bit of fear in his voice, "what if they want to do a cover up. What if they'll capture or kill us because we're bugs. I don't want to be caught again. There's so much new to discover in these caves."

He looked at Adrian with worry. The human himself was a bit shocked too, but also understood the fear. While Juss seemed like a somewhat normal person, he had no idea how the rest of the US army would react to what were basically aliens to them.

"Hey look," he tried appeasing his nephew, "I'm on okay terms with the general. I'm sure we'll be able to explain things to him."

He managed a small smirk, continuing: "Besides, when the worst comes to pass, you can just hide or even try to fight.

"Yeah, I guess so," muttered Max, before looking up at Adrian. "But I still want to go and fight the Pale King. _We_ deserve it after he did."

The human just nodded, frowning. He didn't see the point in trying to get him to drop that thought anymore, though it still didn't feel right."

"Besides," his nephew continued, "if we defeat him before the army shows up, maybe they'll go easy on us?"

"Yeah," replied Adrian, "_maybe_." Though the idea gave at least some hope.

"At least you'll be okay," Max then said, "right?"

"I guess so," the human replied, before trying to joke: "I'm at least not planning to die.."

"Yeah," the boy chuckled, though with little joy. Truth be told, their conversation seemed to be getting darker by the second.

"Listen," he then said, "when this is over, can you go and tell mom and dad that I'm fine?"

Sighing deeply, Adrian answered with a nod. "I think staying will be the best option for you," he spoke, adding: "And you won't have to be alone. From what I've seen, that Hornet girl's a real friend. Got the smarts too."

"Y- yeah, she does," Max mumbled back, suddenly looking down at the table, making the man raise an eyebrow.

There was a short pause, before the changed boy asked: "But what're you going to do here, though?"

"What do you mean," responded Adrian, confused.

"I'm going to go out with Hornet to hunt and fight, at least at some point," Max continued, "will you try out a nail and come with or stay here and do something else."

The man was taken slightly aback by the question, though in a good way. He hadn't even thought of how to contribute to all of them getting out alive, but he had an idea.

"You talked about moving those stone tablets around, right," he said, to which Max nodded, "you think they any more help with that?"

"Yes, I think so," the young man replied, "the Hiveling in charge said they're going over the entire older section, so there should be quite a lot to do."

"Okay," spoke Adrian, "you think they'll let me help out?"

Max put a hand under his mask's chin, seemingly in thought, before continuing: "I don't know. The archivist I met was _incredibly_ strict and skeptical."

"So, a librarian?" The man chuckled at his own joke, followed closely by his nephew, who nodded.

"I think I can handle it," he then said, "when your dad and I went to school there was a-"

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

As his uncle talked, he was suddenly cut off by the room's heavy door being slammed open, with someone running in. Looking around, they both saw Hornet standing in the doorway, breathing heavily and holding the needle and nail.

"Max, come quick," she exclaimed, "your help is required."

"What? What's going on," the hornet replied.

"I shall give details on the way," the bug said back, "but there is a potential intruder at the entrance."

"What kind of intruder," asked Adrian, sounding alarmed.

"Some intelligent creature," replied Hornet hastily, "the Hivelings said that he wears strange garments, but carries a weapon. Now come on, Max!"

Nodding, the young man stood up and quickly walked up to the warrior, who handed him the blade. They then made their way out the doorway.

"Wait," said Adrian, before Max could leave the room entirely, making him look back. "I'm coming with you," his uncle continued."

"That may not be the best idea," shouted Hornet from the corridor, "your fighting skills are not very good."

"Yeah, why d'you want to come," asked Max, "we could have something serious."

"I think I know who it is down there," replied the human, "best case, we won't need to fight."

"Okay, let's just go then," the hornet said, loosely starting to get who he was talking about.

The three shot through the halls, though they had to go slightly slower for Adrian, who wasn't as fast a runner as the two bugs. All around them, the Hivelings were preparing for a full defense of their home. Even the tiny worker who'd guided the human around had taken off. In the rush, Max saw more soldiers and guardians that ever before, but also smaller ones, all of them flying in the same direction they were: the western entrance of the Hive, the same place Hornet and him had first entered through.

Surprisingly, all of the inbound defenders didn't completely block the many corridors, allowing them to slip through, with Max having to take care with his nail, as it was only his second time holding it, making it slightly more difficult to keep it from bumping into the surrounding crowd. Hopefully, if the intruder at the entranceway was truly who his uncle believed them to be, there wouldn't be much need to wield it yet.

They climbed up the ledge from the westernmost hall, their human companion taking much more time, before reaching the final stretch, which was guarded by two guardians, angrily looking forwards, with multiple small workers peeking out from behind them. Moving further forward to where the wax was replaced by rock, they saw someone standing in the dimly lit cave ahead, their front slightly illuminated by the yellow glow coming from inside the Hive.

* * *

While Adrian stayed in cover back beside the guardians, Max and Hornet brought their weapons forward in a protective stance and started to slowly edge towards the figure. However, when he fully saw the figure, the hornet stopped. It was clearly a human, though one fully clothed.

They were mostly wearing a very military esque fighting outfit, with a larger coat and multiple belts holding pockets and a large holster covering it. Beside the unusual trenchcoat, the strangest things about the person, who was clearly a soldier, were their headgear and the thing on their back. Max recognized the face cover, as one of those older eerie gas mask designs he'd seen on pictures, but they were carrying a sheathe with what looked like a greatnail on their back.

Still, it seemed pretty clear that the human in front of them was one of the soldiers his uncle had described yesterday.

"Stop," Max said to Hornet, grabbing her shoulder and making her look back at him, confused.

"What? Do you recognize what it is?"

"Not exactly," he replied, "but I'm certain it's a human."

He looked forward at the figure, who was standing at ease.

"Hello," Max called, "can you, uh, understand us?" Immediately, he cringed internally. Why would he even think a human without-.

"Indeed, I can," a male voice suddenly answered, not in English, but in the bugs' language. "Am I right when saying that this is the Hive," he then asked, pointing at the lit-up passage behind them. Max noticed that his voice had a strange garble to it, which didn't sound like one a human could make.

"Yes," replied Hornet, "this is the Hive. Why have you come here, hyu-man?"

At this, the person started walking towards them. Immediately, Max saw Hornet tense up and heard the buzzing of the Hivelings become more aggressive.

"Do not fear," the figure said, raising a hand, "I come in peace." Now that he was closer, Max could also see that he was taller than both him and his companion.

"We shall see about that," said Hornet, though she seemingly eased up. "Why have you come to the Hive," she then asked once more.

The weird soldier turned to stare her down. "I was told that I could find someone called the Daughter of Deepnest here. Is she?"

Hornet was visibly surprised at the question, as was Max. He knew that was once his companion's title, but how could the soldier have known about that or even manage to speak their language? The charm that Adrian wore had to be made for him.

The warrior recovered from the shock faster than he did, as she then said: "That would be I."

"Wait, you," the masked human asked, sounding surprised, though his expression was hidden.

"Yes," Hornet continued, "I am Hornet of Deepnest. Why have you sought me out?"

"Very well," the soldier quietly muttered, before saying: "I've come here to gather help to battle the Pale King and his forces. However, before we go any further, I'd like to know how you know of my kind."

"I think I can answer that," the relieved voice of Adrian suddenly said, making Max look back at him. The human had come out from behind his cover and was walking towards them with a smirk. "Damn, Sir," he continued, "I knew you would find us."

"Adrian," the soldier said, "what the hell are you doing here?"

He looked back at Max and Hornet, his hand moving towards the holster on his chest.

"You two better tell me how you've got him and whose side you're right this instant," he said in a strict, yet stable tone, "or the peace I came her with is finished."

"Hey, hey. No need for that, Juss," Max's uncle spoke, bringing his hands up, "they're on our side."

"Look at me for a moment," the human, who Adrian had called 'Juss', said, to which the man obeyed, confusing Max, who didn't know if he should say something or not.

After a moment, 'Juss' spoke: "Alright, I believe you. Now tell me how exactly you're with them."

"That's kind of a long story," replied Adrian.

"Can't be that long," the soldier stated, "you went missing yesterday evening."

"A lot still happened," Max's relative continued, "we'll tell about it inside, right?" He looked at the two bugs.

"Yes, I believe that would be wise," said Hornet, "if you are indeed against the king, then I think you're with us. How should we call you, hyu-man?"

"Oh, of course," the soldier said, "you may address me as general Juss for the time being."

The bug warrior nodded, with Max doing so as well, though the name sounded foreign to him.

"Let's go then," the hornet finally said, pointing back inside the Hive, which was still blocked by the guardians, still intently looking at the human.

"I'd agree," he spoke, "but you should call off the welcoming party first."

"Yes," Hornet agreed. She then walked back towards the large Hivelings. Max wished her luck. He'd heard yesterday about how stubborn they could be.

"Convincing them could take some time," he informed the two humans.

"Alright," said Adrian, "we can wait a bit, right?"

"Yes," the general agreed, "time is the last thing we've got to worry about right now."

"So, we'll go inside and you're going to take care of things," asked the other man.

"Depends on what you mean," he said, audibly sighing. Then he looked towards Max. "You don't look like the other bugs over there," he pointed his head to where Hornet was negotiating with the guardians, a few bigger workers having joined her, "what's your role, despite being Hornet's bodyguard."

"I'm, uh, not her bodyguard," Max corrected, feeling slightly awkward, "I'm her student. I'm also a hornet, not a Hiveling."

"Fine enough," the man spoke, "you look young. What's your name, kid?"

"Maxwell, Sir," the hornet replied, using his full name. He'd been taught to always be formal around important people as the soldier in front of him appeared to be.

"Maxwell?" Once again, though he didn't see his face, Max could hear the mild confusion in the man's voice.

"Listen," said Adrian, standing up, as he'd been leaning against the rock wall, "I may not have been entirely honest when I said that I was the first human these bugs met."

"What do you mean?" The soldier looked at him.

"Juss, this is Max," the young hornet's uncle spoke, pointing at him, "my nephew. I know it looks weird, but it's true."

The soldier turned to look at Max again.

"It's true," he said, "I was turned into a hornet."

"Who did it," asked Juss with a firm yet clearly angry tone.

"The Pale King," replied Max, "his plans were to do it all the other people from Elsewhere too."

Somehow, despite being covered by the mask, the man's glare suddenly became much more intense, before he turned to face the passage into the Hive. Looking there as well, Max saw that Hornet was heading back with a familiar Healer flying beside her.

"That took shorter than I expected," said the warrior.

"Yes," added Apisia, "they were thankfully in a _very_ good mood before the alert."

"Then let's head inside," commanded Juss, "I ask you to take me to your leader immediately." He glanced back at Max for a moment.

"Things have become much more complicated and there is _a lot_ we need to discuss,"

* * *

**And there we have a shorter chapter, partly due to the days I took off, but also due to a minor lack of motivation on my part.**

**Also, if it feels like this one just _stops_ at the end, it's because the next one will basically serve as a part two, as planning begins.**

**I still hope you enjoyed this one. Take care.**


	16. Chapter 14: Planning Starts

Chapter 14: Planning Starts

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

As per the general's request, the group of humans and bugs was, once again, headed for Hive Queen Vespa's hall in order to talk about the things that were happening. Max was walking beside his uncle, who'd decided to tag along, despite it not really being needed. Around them, Hivelings were returning to their posts, as there was no threat anymore, though many still looked at the human newcomer cautiously.

The soldier himself was completely silent, simply staring forward as he walked, while Hornet was quietly talking about something with Apisia, who'd also come with them. Still, even from behind, there seemed to be an aura of authority around the general. Max hoped he would be as approachable as Adrian had described him before, since his reaction to him being a changed human hadn't seemed to be the best.

The hornet also stayed quiet, since there didn't seem to be anything to talk about with either Hornet or his uncle. Overall, things felt a little uncomfortable.

Thankfully, since he'd already walked the path many times already, the journey to the queen didn't feel that long, as they soon reached the entrance of the long corridor leading there. Beside it, there were several workers.

"If you may excuse us for a moment," Hornet suddenly said, approaching two of the Hivelings and motioning for Max to come as well. She then handed one of them her needle. "Take our weapons back to the empty chamber, please," she told them, which prompted the hornet to hand his nail forward. It was quickly picked up by the other, as both of them nodded and hastily left.

"Right, let's keep moving," the general said, as Hornet started leading him again.

* * *

The group then went through at a rather fast pace, soon reaching the hall. From beside his friend , Max saw that the spectral Hiveling monarch was floating with her back turned towards them. While he, Adrian and Apisia stayed near the doorway, Hornet and Juss walked forwards.

Queen Vespa then turned around, looking at the human.

"Greetings to you all," she said, "but mostly to you, human. I am Hive Queen Vespa and I welcome you here.

"Thank you," the soldier replied in that garbled voice, giving a slight bow, "My name is general Lembit Juss. I presume my sudden arrival was why your other subjects were so agitated."

"You coming here was indeed unexpected, general," the Hiveling confessed, "my children were ready to rush to the defense, as they took you for a threat. Recent events have made the enviroment here a bit lively."

"If it's already like that here, then you probably know why I've come," Juss spoke, as queen Vespa already nodded, "To answer the threat of the Pale King."

"Yes, that is what we must discuss," the Hiveling said, "Altough first, I would like if you removed your mask."

"Very well," the human said, a sigh being also heard. Then he grabbed his mask and pulled it off, before bringing it down and attaching to his belt. However, the angle made it impossible for Max to see his face, though he noticed that Hornet's eyes widened slightly when she looked at him.

"Wonderful," the queen spoke, smiling, "Now, let us get down to the things that matter." She pointed at Max and Adrian, saying: "your fellow humans have already told us of the invasion and I understand that dealing with it is of great importance to you."

"Yes, though not as much as you may think," Juss said, confusing Max. It seemed weird that the general didn't appear concerned by the powerful monsters marching forward on the surface."

The queen also looked surprised. "But why? Isn't ensuring the safety of your people your top priority," she asked.

"Yes," the soldier replied, "but it is something I can't affect at the moment. I've no means of contacting any troops, I won't go into details about that, but I know that they will respond if they haven't already."

"The king's constructs are a formidable force," warned Hornet from the side, "and I have seen how many of them are."

"I faced a few in the town," the general responded, "their claw-blades will be no match to our technology."

"What do you speak of," the bug warrior asked, "what do you have that is more powerful than a nail?" she ponted at the large blade on the human's back.

"I carry that, since my way of fighting is sometimes different from others, Hornet of Deepnest," he said, the usage of the titled name obviously irking her, "the _Americans_ above probably outnumber the constructs and even if they don't, their _guns_ will make it that they do. Those white thingies won't reach another human settlement."

He paused, taking a few breaths. Adrian softly bumped Max's shoulder and smiled at him, giving a thumbs up. The hornet understood, smiling back, though he strangely didn't feel as much pride and relief as his uncle probably was.

"You see," Juss finally continued, "the reason I made an effort to actually reach this place myself was because I want to end the Pale King quickly, while he's still weak. I know he reappeared just recently."

Max was surprised again. How did he know that? Hornet must've thought the same thing, as she made a similar expression, before angrily asking: "Where did you learn of this, human, or of my name, for that matter? Come to think of it, how do you even speak like us? Hyu-mans cannot do that without magic."

To Max's further shock, the general then looked at her and replied in a firm, yet audibly angry tone: "You have no right to speak to me this way, _Daughter_ of Deepnest. I know you're next in line, but I still demand respect."

"I agree with him," Vespa added sternly, "the general may be using his status to its' less respectable extents, but that was a bit too impulsive for you."

Having heard this, Max's friend simply nodded, with the slightest bit of shame in her eyes, before stepping away.

The human looked back at the Hiveling, with his back still towards the hornet. "I have to say," he commented, "for a ghost appearing so young, you're very good at 'reading'."

"I shall take that as a compliment," the queen replied, "though I stll lived for a few centuries before my demise. Still, I believe the questions asked by Hornet _were_ somewhat important. How _can_ you speak with us?"

General Juss sighed. "Yes, I suppose I should answer that," he spoke, "Simply put, last night, as a way to gain knowledge of these caves, I sought out and spoke to the being known as the White Lady."

Hornet gave a small gasp, while Max just tilted his head. "Excuse me," he asked, "who is that."

Vespa and the general both glanced back at him, finally letting him see the right side of the latter's face, which was bearded.

However, it was his tutor who spoke up: "Sorry, Max, I didn't tell you about her yet. She was the ancient queen of Hallownest."

"Yes, and a higher being like the Pale King," Vespa finished, before looking back at the authoritative human.

"Very well," he continued, "I spoke to her concerning a few things and in the end, she gifted me this." He then opened a side of his coat in a way that even Max saw what was attached to it: a charm very similar in design to the one his uncle was wearing, though he could spot some differences in color.

"And before you ask," the general added, glancing back, "yes, I saw your's, Adrian."

"Well, that is splendid," the spectral Hiveling then said, "but why don't we get back to our primary topic."

"Not yet," Juss spoke, "before we discuss any plans of battle, I'd like to talk about the humans taken from Elsewhere."

Max saw both Hornet and Vespa shoot confused looks at him."

"Earlier, you asked if I did not care of my people's wellbeing. I partly do, though these aren't exactly _my_ people," the human began, "still, a problematic aspect was brought up to me by mister Reed."

To Max's own surprise, instead of pointing at his uncle, the general turned around and pointed at him, letting him fully see the strange man's face. While he'd seen eyepatches before, it still took him aback, as did the tattoos around it, seemingly going under. His enhanced vision could also spot numerous tiny scars on his face and he shortly wondered how many more were under the beard.

The hornet was snapped out of his thoughts when Juss, in a surprisingly friendly tone, said: "Come on here then, kid. I'd like to know how _this_ was done to you." He then looked at Adrian. "And you'll tell me everything else right after that."

"So, uh," Max said, walking forward, "story time?" Once again, he mentally slapped himself. That was stupid.

"Yes," the soldier then said, to his surprise, "that is actually a very good way to put it."

"Okay," the hornet sighed, before collecting his breath and starting. As he'd done when telling Adrian about his 'adventures', Max began where the sentries had dragged him an the others where rounded into the White Palace, saving the parts where they were dragged down from the surface.

When he began describing the day he spent in the dungeon with Hornet, she, to his happiness, decided to add some details like yesterday. Looking at the general, it seemed that it wasn't really to his liking, though he didn't say anything, simply nodding with his hand under his chin and letting them continue.

Then, the two bugs went over their escape, with Max finishing up how he'd been dragged into the Hive and how he had passed out during his first audience with Vespa.

"That's how I came here," he said, "yesterday, I woke up and in the evening, the Hivelings found Adrian."

"I see," Juss replied, facing him, "That was interesting, to say the least and I must commend both of you. That escape must've been quite hard for you two." Surprisingly, for a moment, he actually smirked at both Max and Hornet.

Then he said: "Still, I would really like to know what caused the king's aggression against you, Maxwell."

"I can answer that," the queen Vespa stated, to which the human looked at her.

"Unlike the other humans', Max's mask was affected by some unknown piece of magic, which sealed his fate as being one of the hornet tribe the moment he was made to wear it, "she then explained, "I may not remember some things about them anymore, as the Pale King's campaign against the tribe was many, many years ago, but I know that the hornets' protective magic is great in power."

"This campaign," the general asked, "I can only assume it didn't leave many of them alive?"

The queen's face saddened and she nodded. Max also felt a bit down at the question. They were his people now, after all

"And you're saying this tribe once had protective magic powerful enough to protect from a higher being?"

"Yeah, I must've. Is that weird," Max asked. Granted, it had felt a bit strange, but he'd imagined that the other wild tribes had something similar too, though not as strong as the hornets'.

"I- That is something that we'll discuss later," the human said, "understood?"

"Okay," the hornet responded, nodding. It didn't seem like arguing would be a good idea at that moment.

"Well," Juss then began, looking over to Adrian, "I would now like to know how you managed to disappear without trace in a single hour."

"Well, as I said," Max's uncle began, "kind of a long story. You wanna help, uh, ribbon-lady." He looked at Apisia, who seemed surprised."

"My help," she asked, before smiling and nodding. "Okay!"

She launched into a very detailed description about how she had been looking over the smaller Hivelings in some medical checkup, even going as far as to try and tell about how the last few she checked were doing.

However, before she could get very far, the general interrupted: "Excuse me, healer, but would you spare me the unimportant details and focus on how you managed to come upon Adrian."

"Oh, sorry," Apisia said, looking embarrassed, "I'll try better."

The Hiveling then began where she was alerted by the younger workers of some creature and how she arrived to find Max's uncle. Apisia quickly explained why he small ones had taken Adrian, to the seeming dismay of the general. The healer then finished up with how he'd called for Max to be brought, since she couldn't understand human-ish (as she put it). That's where Adrian himself began talking, describing his rather negative reaction to waking up in the Hive and his and Max's reunion A few minutes later, he finally stopped recapping at them going to see Vespa, though Max noticed that he omitted the part where Hornet tackled him.

"Interesting," muttered Juss, nodding. He then turned towards the queen. "I have to say, your young ones are quite skilled for being so, let us say, _naïve_."

"I shall take that as a compliment," Vespa replied, "after all, they are more innocent than most in these caves. And thankfully, everything turned out alright in the end."

"That it did," agreed the human, before saying: "I'll ask my things back later, Adrian. Right now, _we've_ more important things to speak of."

He sighed. "Let's talk about the attack on the Pale King.

Hornet nodded with an enthusiastic look, while Max took a step forwards, also eager to hear what the general had planned. Even Adrian and Apisia leaned slightly toward them, looking mildly interested.

"Yes, it would be best if we discussed this now," Vespa spoke, "after all, the Pale King still poses some threat to all our ways of life, even in his weakened state."

"Alright, if that is what you want," Juss said, "However," he turned towards the rest of the group, "I must ask if it is okay if we dismissed the other members of our gathering for this talk. I believe it's best if only the most qualified stayed for now."

Max raised a mental eyebrow, perplexed and negatively so. Why'd the general think that? Of course, he wasn't the only one dismayed, as Hornet's eyes had also widened and showed visible anger.

"That's ludicrous," she said with an annoyed tone, "Why would you even suggest such a thing, hyu-man? He- They have as much a right to be here as us." She turned to the Hiveling, asking "Queen Vespa, surely you won't allow him to have our companions leave like this?"

Of course! For a moment, Max thought that it'd be alright, as there was no way that Vespa would allow it to happen.

However, the ghostly monarch then sternly spoke: "Actually, Hornet, I believe he also meant you when talking of our group. Secondly, I must confess that I agree with the general. You all should indeed leave, as the things we'll talk about will be very important."

Max was shocked even more by this, but for a moment, his friend looked absolutely dumbfounded.

"I must protest, queen Vespa," she then said.

"You shall and it'll fall on deaf ears," Juss replied, "I'm sorry, but that's how it is. Now _please_ leave with the others before I have to ask again."

At that moment, the hornet's shock quickly became frustration towards the general. The human trying to irk Hornet before had bothered him a little bit, but he had no right to act so condescending towards her right now. His friend had been through so much because of the Pale King and it meant that among all bugs, she deserved to be there to plan the attack on him.

"I- Very well," Max then heard Hornet sigh, annoyed, though definitely also defeated. He was angry. The general had gotten through to _his_ Hornet. If the queen wasn't there, the young bug would have likely began arguing with the human. He glanced at his friend, who was turning to leave with a dismayed look, and proceeded to follow her.

Adrian didn't look that bothered at leaving, which Max understood, and Apisia had apparently already left while he'd been focusing on the conversation between Hornet, Vespa and Juss.

Still, to Hornet and him at least, getting kicked out wasn't fun, at all.

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

Being ordered to leave was confusing, but also extremely frustrating. The only reason why Hornet hadn't attempted to argue any further with the general was that queen Vespa had been present. Though it was still very strange that she too had wanted her to leave. Max's uncle and Apisia, those were somewhat understandable, perhaps even the hornet as well. But it felt wrong when it came to her.

Hornet felt belittled and she didn't like one bit.

The three walked through the corridor in silence. Upon reaching the hall outside, Max's uncle, who was a few steps ahead of them, stopped and looked back at the two.

"So that didn't go very well," he said, likely due to seeing their sullen faces, "for us at least."

Neither Max nor Hornet answered, the warrior hoping her friend would do it. After a few moments of awkward silence, the hyu-man began to look a little concerned.

"Hey," he spoke in a consoling tone, "people like him can be like that. I know it's a little frustrating, but don't be too upset, alright?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Hornet saw Max nod dully, though he wore a slight scowl.

"Oh come on, Max, don't be like that," Adrian sighed, "I- You- I'd advise or help you more right now, but I _really _wanted to check out what they have for jobs here."

He glanced at the warrior. "You make sure he'll feel better, alright?"

Hornet nodded, though much more distinctly than Max had. Having seen this, the hyu-man turned around and began heading down a corridor. The warrior wasn't sure if he knew where he was going, but couldn't be bothered to think about it at that moment. Instead, she began to silently head in the direction the archives and their fighting chamber was, with Max following beside her.

Speaking of the hornet, he still wore a scowl and his claws had now formed fists, which the warrior only figured was because he felt as frustrated as her, if not more.

She was proven right when the hornet angrily said: "That wasn't fair. At all."

"No, it was not," Hornet replied, also still angry, "but I'm afraid we can't do anything about it anymore."

"This is awful," Max bitterly spoke, "and that general's a jerk, the way that he talked to you. Why was the queen on his side?"

"I have no idea," the young warrior sullenly answered.

Her friend huffed, frustrated. "Know what," he said, "let's head back to the training room. I feel like I need to punch something."

Due to her frustration, Hornet was about to agree with Max, as she would also have liked to hit something. However, she then remembered what a Weaver had once said to her.

"No," she said.

Max stopped and looked at her, still angry, but also confused. "Why," he asked, "it'll feel good, come on."

"Max, we're both angry right now," Hornet said, though she herself was starting to calm down, "it wouldn't be a good idea. One hit or slice too strong or far and we could _actually_ hurt each other. I took the statue back as well, so it'd be an even easier."

"That's-," Max started to angrily say, before stopping himself and seemingly taking a moment to think. "Alright, fine," he then admitted with a slightly calmer tone, "you've got a point. But what'll we do then? Where're we even headed right now?"

"I, uh, do not know," Hornet said with the slightest bit of sheepishness. Actually, she was torn between a few places. "Do you wish to return to the archives so I may begin teaching you our history or simply go to your chamber or some other unbothered place for a little while?"

Max stayed silent for a few seconds. "Let's just go to the archives," he then replied, "I just want something to forget about this for a bit."

The warrior nodded. That was honestly a good way to calm oneself down. She'd even used it a few times before she lost the ability to even get properly upset. Like after her mother's fall into slumber_._

* * *

They began quietly heading towards the giant library. Hornet knew not to start a conversation with her companion yet, as it was clear he was still a bit sullen, keeping his mask towards the ground. The warrior had read a little bit of something about the hornets' known temper and she really hoped it wouldn't present itself again, as she really hated seeing her friend this way.

Still, walking silently already gave her some time to think about the actual importance of the things the general had told them. First and foremost, his confident promise that the hyu-man soldiers on the surface possessed weapons and equipment with such power that they could easily go up against the Pale King's constructs, which was a claim that Hornet still didn't entirely believe.

Then, there was the fact that the general had somehow gotten knowledge and advice from the White Lady, which, despite being a somewhat smart course of action, still confused. Of course, having guarded the caves for decades, Hornet knew that the old queen resided bound in her own gardens, but the hyu-man had arrived with Adrian less than a day ago. It was something that she'd definitely look into and ask about in the coming days, hopefully with respect to the soldier. Though judging from their interactions at the meeting, that could've proved difficult.

Suddenly, Hornet had to pause her thoughts, as she saw that Max and she had reached the entrance to the archive. They made their way inside and towards one of the large wax tables, being greeted by a worker on the way.

Having reached the knee-high table, Max asked: "So, we'll stay here, right? Where do I sit down?"

"On the ground, I suppose," Hornet replied, "The Hivelings really don't _sit_ much."

"Okay then," the hornet grumbled, leaning onto the table. "You need any help," he then asked, looking up at the warrior and actually managing a tiny smile.

"That won't be necessary, but thank you," Hornet replied, smiling back, "Just wait here. I'll be back soon."

She then turned around and walked to the shelves. In all honesty, she'd yet to figure where to begin or even how she was supposed to go through with it. Back when in her younglinghood, Midwife and the Weavers did not really bother with any education, only really bothering with the most important things and, of course, combat. That left her to read mostly out of her own curiosity. Later on, she'd heard that in Hallownest, the younglings of nobles were made to visit places built to teach and yesterday, Max had told her that hyu-mans also had something similar.

That left Hornet wanting not to disappoint him with her own methods, however limited they currently were. She began with picking out a tome telling of basic history of the western tribes, including her own Deepnest. She took care to choose one written by Hiveling scholars, as ones from Hallownest were usually biased, at least in her experience. Carrying the book with both hands, she headed back to Max.

Hornet came up to the table and set the heavy tome down with a slam, making her friend jump.

"Here we are, "_The Comprehensive History of the Western Tribes_".

"Whoa," the hornet said, "that's a pretty big book."

"What do you mean," the warrior asked, tilting her head, "it's quite a regular size in my opinion."

"I- Well this-," Max stuttered, before saying: "You know what, never mind." Leaving Hornet puzzled.

"Very well then," she spoke, "shall we begin?" She got beside him and pointed at the tome.

"I mean, there isn't much else to do," her student replied, at which she nodded. They both then lifted the heavy cover of the book.

"So, how'll we do this," Max asked, staring at the first page. Hornet had reached her first obstacle. She still hadn't fully thought of it.

"Well," she said with just the slightest bit of uncertainty in her voice, "just try to start reading and if you have any questions. You can understand these letters, right Max?" Unlike the ancient tablets they had carried in the morning, the book was written in the modern Hallownestian style, which she could perfectly.

"Yes, even better than that other lettering," the hornet replied, looking down at the tome, "just so weird, though. First time I've seen this and I can already understand it. It's so _different _too."

"At least you can read it. That's good," spoke Hornet who wanted him to simply begin already, still chastising herself for having the 'lesson' be unplanned.

"Yeah, yeah, I can. So where do I start," Max then asked, which was what the warrior had feared.

"Just, uh, read from the beginning," she replied. If it'd been anyone other than Max, she'd probably have gotten annoyed already.

"So, uh, no suggestions where to start or anything," her friend enquired again.

"No," the warrior sheepishly answered, shaking her head.

"Fine," Max uttered, pulling the book in front of him. After a few moments, he said: "You really didn't plan this through, did you?"

Unsurprisingly, that hadn't taken very long for him to figure out. "Not at all," Hornet replied with her head hung, feeling unusually embarrassed, "I am sorry. I should've."

"Hey look, it's nothing major," Max spoke, smiling at her, "I can do it like this for now. Besides, you'll get it better tomorrow or whenever, right?"

At least he was able to encourage her. "Indeed, I shall," Hornet said, smiling back. Max then turned back to the tome to read and the warrior was left to her thoughts. It was pleasant that Max managed some kind words for her, despite how he'd been less than an hour ago. She'd definitely make it up to him with a more thought out archive session in the coming days. Then, her thoughts drifted back to the unpleasant counsel with queen Vespa and the hyu-man general, Yus or whatever his name was.

It was obvious that the high-ranker was the type who wasn't afraid of putting things bluntly. And though Hornet still didn't see him having Max, her and the others dismissed, the comment about qualification still somewhat stuck with her. Aside from fighting, a good enough knowledge of the caves' history and a strong feeling of purpose, how qualified was she?"

After Herrah had become a Dreamer and Hallownest had fallen, she had always been alone, of course until Ghost arrived, but even that was very recently. She didn't really have much experience in planning or any other things that leaders did, just fighting. Though everyone in Deepnest had a lot of respect for the chief and their children, the most prominent law was still that of nature. Kill or be killed. Hornet knew it didn't work that way in other places, but that hadn't stopped her from slaying many in her time as spellbound guardian.

Yes, it was clear that she'd have to get some advice from Vespa. To learn more about co-operation and maybe even something about diplomacy. Hornet knew she'd already achieved some fairly great things with both the Ghost and Max, but learning more would hopefully earn more respect out of the general. Other than that there was also-.

"Hey, Hornet. I've a question," Max suddenly said, snapping the warrior out of her thoughts.

"Yes, what is it," she asked, looking up at the hornet.

"Well, I'm about to end the first chapter, right," the male spoke, "and you said that this covers basically the entire history of the tribes." Hornet nodded. She was beginning to understand what Max was confused about.

"But it already begins with the tribes' creators coming together and settling down," he continued, "it feels like something is skipped. Is it in here later or something?"

"I am afraid not, Max" Hornet said, before edging a little closer to Max. "I don't know much, but before Hallownest, there was another large civilization of bugs that was the precursor to the kingdom and played a role in the tribes' creation," she explained.

"Okay, I guess. But why aren't they mentioned anywhere then," the hornet asked.

"I am getting to that, don't worry," the warrior replied, "Simply put, the Pale King did not like them for some reason, which was why he built the White Palace over their ruins. You remember those halls we escaped through."

"I saw a bit, yeah. Then I passed out though," the hornet stated, "but we're in the Hive. Why aren't they mentioned here?"

"Unlike the others, the Hive and Hallownest had a fairly good relationship, mostly due to the Hivelings' peacefulness and respect of scholarship. However, in turn for the peace, the Pale King demanded the old queen to not have any mention of these older bugs, among other things," Hornet finished.

"So, another unjust thing done by the king," Max said with a hint of aggressiveness, "this time it doesn't even make sense. Just another reason to fight him though."

"Indeed, it is," the warrior agreed, and wholeheartedly so.

"So, I'm at the end of the first chapter," the hornet then said.

"Yes?"

"And I figured that maybe we could take a break and go back to train for a bit," he pleaded, "I'm feeling better now. _Please_?" He looked at Hornet with large, hopeful eyes, very similar to what she remembered younglings did when they wanted something.

"Fine, we may," she said, smirking, "but I'll have you go over much more next time."

"Sounds fair," Max replied, before standing up and closing the tome. "You need help taking this back?"

Hornet shook her head. "That won't be necessary. We shall have a worker return it." She knew it wasn't the most proper thing to do, but she too was already itching to return to teaching the hornet some more familiar things.

"Nah, that doesn't sound right," her friend replied, frowning, "know what? I'll do it."

"Max, you really don't have to. You exerted yourself fairly well in the morning," Hornet tried to reassure him.

"Nope, I will," the other bug stubbornly responded, "you just stay at the doorway and wait. I'll be right back." He then started to pick up the book, which seemed fairly hard for him, as he groaned from the weight.

The warrior rolled her eyes and said: "You need help, Max."

"No. I'm fine. Totally fine," her friend stated with a strained voice.

"I tried to tell you the same thing earlier," Hornet continued, moving closer and taking hold of the tome's underside, taking some weight onto herself. "Remember what almost happened," she then asked.

"Okay, okay. Thank you," Max responded with relief.

"Now, we don't need to bother with this, you especially," the female spoke, "let's simply set it down."

"Yeah, maybe you're right," the hornet said. The two then carefully set the tome back on the table. "Wow, so all books here are this big," he asked.

"I do not see the practicality in something smaller," Hornet replied, "now, let's go."

"Wait," Max said, breathing heavily, before setting a hand on her shoulder, "just a few more seconds. Thanks again."

Hornet nodded, smiling. Contact with him felt good.

Those few seconds later, Max took his hand off. "A'right, let's go," he told her.

"With pleasure," Hornet replied, as they began to hastily make their way back out. While on their way, she motioned to a Hiveling and then at the book they'd left on the table. The worker nodded and started to fly over. Once back in the corridor, instead of delving into her own thoughts again, Hornet decided to strike up another conversation with Max. Too much deep thought at once couldn't be good.

"Remember that you'll still have to be careful this time," she said to Max, who looked at her, "we probably won't get that statue back so at least _try_ to have your slashes be more precise."

"Hey, what's wrong with my style," the hornet asked, though it was audible in his voice that he knew what she was talking about.

"You mean besides the fact that you seem to want to smash an entire swarm of booflies in a single blow," Hornet jokingly asked back, though it didn't get much of a reaction from Max.

"I don't know what those are," he said, causing the female to roll her eyes. She had a lot to teach him when they finally got outside the Hive.

* * *

Without much more talking, they soon reached the familiar doorway. However, just before entering, Hornet caught wind of something already being in there. Max seemed to have noticed the faint scent too, as he also suddenly became alert. Peeking in from the doorway, the two saw a fairly tall, light clad figure facing the back wall that had the needle and nail placed against it. It was clearly the hyu-man.

"You two can come in," he suddenly said, glancing back at the doorway, "it's your place after all."

With a frown, Hornet slowly made herself seen and walked into the chamber, Max following close behind. They walked up to the hyu-man, the hornet staying stopping a bit farther from him than her.

"You know, peeking like that isn't very polite," the general commented. His tone was a bit less formal and stern than before.

His remark didn't sit well with Hornet however. "I could say the same about coming into our training room uninvited," she countered, annoyed, "why've you come here?"

The hyu-man raised one of the lines of hair above his eyes. "Not bad," Hornet heard him mutter, before he responded: "Partly to see how you two practice, but also to forward some things we discussed with the queen."

This confused Hornet, as she had expected that Vespa would do it sometime later.

"If you meant to tell anyway, why'd you send us out before," Max suddenly asked, sounding angry again, which caused the female to look back at him worryingly.

"I'm fairly sure I mentioned qualification," the General spoke, his voice stern again, "I'm sorry, but you can't just bring anyone to a war council."

At that, Hornet _did_ become annoyed. She looked back at the hyu-man and began to explain: "I'm not a youn-."

"Only in a certain way," the hyu-man interrupted her, his voice a bit calmer, "queen Vespa told me of your _interesting_ state and your guardianship. You might have your skills and experience, but in body and up here," he pointed at the side of his head, "you're still basically a youngling."

Hornet frowned and looked down. She didn't have anything to reply, since he was right.

"Hey, you can't say that to her," Max suddenly said from behind her. The general started to say something, only to be stopped by the female

"He can, Max," she replied, her tone serious, "it's the truth." She looked back at him.

"Yeah, but he's still putting you down," the hornet spoke, "don't let him do that." He got a small smile, which encouraged Hornet enough respond with a smirk and nod, though they weren't the most confident.

"I don't think you should be so dismayed," the hyu-man then said, prompting both to look back at him.

"What do you mean," Hornet asked, doing her best to sound indifferent again.

"You'll definitely be part of the attack," the general replied, causing her eyes to widen, "It would honestly be a crime not to let you, considering how much he's done. Can't even call him a proper father."

"No, not at all," Hornet said, now _very_ encouraged, "he has a lot to answer for."

"I see you're enthusiastic about this," the general replied, smirking, "that's good. The attack's in two days. That should be enough for you to prepare."

"Wait, that early," Max asked. Hornet was confused as well, as the allies Vespa had talked about yesterday hadn't been heard from yet.

"Yes," Juss stated, nodding, "major planning's going to take place tomorrow. Sadly, the other tribes' mentioned by the queen appear to be too weakened to assist."

Though this was unfortunate news, yet Hornet understood. Despite being powerful, the warriorbugs, especially her kind in Deepnest, were very prideful, which had likely proved fatal. Though Midwife definitely survived. The spider was smart, slippery and had always been rumored to know dark magic. Still, the absence of allies was going to make the assault harder.

"How do you believe the attack should be carried out, general," the warrior asked.

"It won't be too complex, though caution should be used," the hyu-man replied, "A small group of those fighter-hivelings lead by you and I. A lot of constructs are in other places, so getting to the higher being should be easy. Then, I am sure you know how things will go."

Hornet nodded, before suddenly realizing that there was something missing.

"What about Max," she asked, pointing at her friend, "what'll he do?"

"Huh? Yeah, what about me," the hornet also asked, "I want to help out too."

The hyu-man sighed, before looking at the male. "Maxwell, I understand that you were part of the ones changed and that your new nature may make you want to fight as well. Hornet has even started training you. But it's only a few days and we're going to a battle. I can't risk a young one like you. _You understand, kid?"_

Hornet didn't know what he'd said at the end. Still, she wouldn't have it. "I must disagree," she said, "Though I've trained Max for only two days, he has picked up the basic principles of combat very quickly. We think it is due to the hornets' nature to fight."

"Yeah, I've been doing pretty well," Max added.

The general looked at him. "Maybe he has," he spoke, "but he's also young. Last of his new kind as well now. He's your, uh, _friend_ too. Do you want to risk it?"

"At least I do," the hornet proclaimed, "I can at least wait outside as lookout or something."

"And I promised to protect him," added Hornet, "Please, general. I shall train him the rest of today and tomorrow. I'm sure it'll work out."

"You both really want this," the hyu-man asked, at which both bugs nodded, causing him to sigh heavily.

"Going from beginner to fighter in less than two days is going to be hard," he said, right hand moving to his back, "and you're going to need help for it." He pulled out the greatnail, which Hornet saw had a fairly intricate handle design, and lowered its' tip to the ground.

"Just remember, _mister_ Reed," the general continued with a small smirk, "to her, you're more a friend than student, but to me, you're a subordinate. Your new shell seems far stronger than skin, so I won't go easy on you. If you think this'll be too much, simply say so."

"I'm _ready_," Max said firmly, as Hornet looked at him, a proud happiness in her chest. The general had been surprisingly easy to get on their side, which satisfied her. She moved to the wall and picked up her needle and her friend's nail, before handing the latter to its' owner.

"I believe we're ready," she then said, "let's begin." The warrior knew not to be arrogant, but she just couldn't escape the feeling that the battle had already been won. Really, it felt like the hardest part was going to be setting things right afterwards, with the changed hyu-mans and such.

If the hyu-man sentries on the surface world were as professional as the general, then they'd no doubt prevail as well.

* * *

**So here's another one. I'm sorry if it was tonally uneven or if the ending felt rushed, as a few other things came up the last two weeks.**

**Still, I hope you liked it and are excited for what'll happen next chapter. R&R**


	17. Chapter 15: Meanwhile, Topside

**Just a heads up that this chapter includes far more swearing than any before.**

* * *

**THE PALE KING**

* * *

The day had recently begun and the godly ruler of Hallownest and the Beyond was sitting in his mighty trone, a lowly servant giving him a report on the previous day's happenings in the city. To his great pleasure, the newly enlightened commonfolk had seamlessly become part of the capital's way of life. Some had also been made farmers and made to live in the crossroads. Overall, excluding his sentry guard, the small empire's population was now a little below thirty and it was sure to grow, regardless of the minor setbacks on the surface.

Yes, it was now obvious to him that the human's sent to misguidedly 'rescue' others of their kind wasn't at all an adequate demonstration of the godless ones' military strength, as the push which had forced his Kingsmoulds to retreat yesterday had showed. Still, the constructs were many in number and would be sent against them again today. Then, soon, the king's power would have built enough to assist the surface forces _other_ ways. After all, he was a higher being, a Keeper.

Another message in the report was one from his loyal scholar, speaking of how he had come up with a possible, very interesting way to create new, powerful weapons that would no doubt be useful against the humans. After all, every single one of them couldn't be saved, especially their sentries. Examples had to be made to instill rightful fear. Still, this weapon was still in the form of a simple idea and would take some time to develop. Despite this, the Pale King was satisfied with the chief scholar's enthusiasm and devotion to aiding Hallownest and made sure to only dictate a minor punishment in the case that the project couldn't be developed, which was something he'd already sent his intelligent subject word of.

One of his servants had also brought up the matter of sending a political delegation to the Hive, which he hadn't done yet, but was planning to sometime in the next day, as it was something he could take his time with.

Finally, there still hadn't been any sign of the escaped humans, which didn't surprise him much, as he was sure they were cowering in some small cave, simply waiting to be found by sentries. However, the hornet and his Daughter also hadn't been found. This worried the Pale King a bit more, as he was concerned the latter would soon fall to the tribalbug's corruption and then conspire against him, at which point he'd definitely have to kill them both.

The higher being stopped himself from thinking of such menial things, since they would be inconsequential in the long run. After all, his power was still not at its' fullest, which meant having to prepare in advance to controlling the Kingsmoulds and Wingsmoulds in their upcoming assault.

* * *

Chapter 15: Meanwhile, Topside

**ALLEN**

* * *

The uncannily white Sun had risen fairly high already, as another convoy of troop transports rolled into the half set-up military camp, bringing the number of soldiers stationed there to about four hundred. Close around it, there were nothing but hills and the highway, with a small gas station visible a small distance away. The site was some fifty miles east of the small town near which the strange field of white was coming from and had begun construction yesterday, exactly twenty four hours after the first team sent there was supposed to return. Overall, it wasn't much except about fifty tents raised in a grid pattern. The western end, of course, was closely guarded, as that was the direction the enemies were at.

Private First Class Joseph Allen was sitting in the shade outside one of the tents with his squadmates: Jacques, Bill and Brooks. A full time soldier in the army, he'd actually been due to become a Ranger in a few days with recommendation from command, before likely being shipped overseas to Afghanistan. However this strange threat had come up before. He didn't actually mind it, as it would give him a few more weeks home. Whatever this hocus-pocusy threat was, it didn't seem too rough, but was still a source of some concern.

When the higher-ups had told them that the weird white energy field that was blocking the satellite maps also made all comms dark, his squad hadn't been the only ones who'd laughed, but god damn, his phone couldn't get the smallest bit of reception, nor could their radios, even the newer ones. Also, because there was a constant risk of being attacked, due to them being so close to the opposing force, Allen and all the others were required to have all their equipment on while outside.

Yes, this wasn't something that they could actually take lightly. Back in Phoenix, during the extended briefing that a new executive order now mandated when the army was going up against ETs or other strange things like that, a Captain had showed them photos of the weird enemy that had appeared here. The tall things were covered in white-as-chalk metal and carried around large medieval-looking blade things. The pics themselves were from both the civvies who'd fled the gas station and also from the squad who'd lead the first counter assault against them.

Though it hadn't been officially stated, Allen had even heard that the team had needed assistance from an attack helicopter, which must've been pretty hard to coordinate without working headsets. Overall, he hoped that they would manage to stop the white field before it reached any other nearby towns. The soldier was fairly certain that it'd simply be done by blowing something up in its' center.

That, however, meant pushing all the way to the small town and probably even further. All those fancy new-age technology drones they had didn't work, so that meant going on foot. The tall, scythe-using hostiles had been observed having some kind of similarly colored flying orb-things accompany them and there was apparently a risk that these would dive-bomb their vehicles. At least their equipment was top notch, having gotten a fair few upgrades in the last few months.

All of this was fine, but there was one thing that Allen found strange and it was the leadership. The entire operation was headed by three people: Lieutenant Colonel Taylor, who lead the battalion sent here, but also two foreign officers, whom the PFC understood were pretty high-ranking. This was strange, because as far as he knew, non-American soldiers didn't usually take part in domestic operations like this. Still, Allen believed it had something to do with the first team that went missing. While it wasn't disclosed who exactly the leader had been, it'd been made known that it was someone from an European military organization, the type that went against spooky stuff like this during the time it was still covered up as best as it could've. One thing was clear, these guys knew what they were doing and were packing heat, having brought their own equipment, which the soldier had seen being loaded off one of their trucks. If their new things would've been called highly advanced ten years ago, then the guns and supplies the foreigners had would've been absolutely space age.

* * *

As he was thinking of these things, Allen and his squadmates were suddenly alerted by the voice of their Sergeant, Clarke, as he shouted: "Boys, I'ma need you four over here for a sec." The soldier looked up with his companions to find their Sergeant standing at the entrance to one of the other tents. They got up, grabbed their rifles, which were obviously set to 'safe', and approached, with the others seeming as confused as he was.

Once they reached the entrance of the tent, Bill asked the Captain: "What's this about, Sarge? One of us screw up or something?" He sent a wary look at Allen and the others. The soldier had known the Specialist for a few years now and was aware of how skeptical he could be.

"Nothing of the sort, Johnson," the Captain replied, "am not even sure why you three were called. The LTC's in the tent though. The Europeans too."

This made Allen raise his eyebrow, as Jacques made a confused murmur. At his other side, Brooks just nodded and headed into the tent, whither Allen followed a moment later. Having stepped inside the darker space, he saw a wide metal table that had what looked like a paper map of the surrounding area on it. On the other side stood the Lieutenant Colonel and two foreigners, whom he could properly see for the first time.

"Sir," Allen and Brooks greeted in unison, to which the higher officer responded to with a nod. A few moments later, the Captain and the others entered the tent as well, also greeting him.

"I take it that this is the squad, Colonel Taylor," one of the Europeans spoke up in a deep and slightly accented voice. This one had a kind of stocky, yet still tall build and had light hair with some stubble visible. He was wearing a military uniform with dark green camouflage, a tricolor flag he didn't recognize on his sleeve and a large holster visible on his hip.

"That is correct, Lieutenant," the American officer said, before turning back towards the squad. "I'm going to make this short, Sergeant Clarke. These two standing beside me have _volunteered_ to lead this operation in the field. You and your boys've been selected to accompany them up to the source of this mess," he spoke, "you'll be taking all orders from them. This also means you'll spearhead this operation, understood?"

The Sarge looked confused for a moment, before answering: "Perfectly understood, Sir."

"Very good," the blonde officer, who now apparently commanded Allen's squad, spoke, his serious tone showing no emotion, "Let's begin then. My name is Lieutenant Lihve. If that's too hard to say, you're allowed to call me L. This," he pointed at the visibly younger man beside him, to which he stepped closer to the table, "is Junior Lt Steve, no comments. Steve, you're up." The man in question wore the same uniform as the other one with the weird-as-hell name, but was clean-shaven and had a very short layer of jet black hair.

"Alright then," 'Steve' then spoke, his tone not as deep and menacing as the other's, though still firm, "If you'd take a look at our map for a second, it's pretty clear that there isn't much besides low hills between us and point Echo." His hand slid over to the unbelievably tiny town that had a black E written in its' center. "This means that we won't have many options when it comes to fighting these golems," the officer continued, "Main strategy's going to be heading in a straight line, taking out _anything_ that comes against us."

He paused for a moment. "Excuse me, Sir," Bill suddenly said in a skeptical tone, "but golems? Really?"

"Yes, Specialist. Is that a problem or do you not know what one is," Lt L, which was what Allen had decided to call the strangely named man, asked.

"With all due respect, _Sir_, we've all been to school," Clarke spoke up.

"Well, that'll definitely come in handy," L replied, causing Allen to raise an eybrow. Whoever this guy actually was, he knew how to show authority.

Thankfully, the other officer seemed to be at least a little more respecting, as he said: "Pointless _bickering_ aside, yes, we've decided that these are indeed not alive and powered by something _else_. Lieutenant Colonel, when exactly are our plans to move out?"

Allen raised an eyebrow and Taylor himself looked confused. "Why are you asking this early, Lt," he asked, "We haven't finished setting up yet."

"That's understood," explained Steve, "We'd simply like to re-brief the troops about the hostiles' way of advancing and their armor."

"What about it, Sir," the Sergeant asked.

The foreigner opened one of the pockets of his uniform and pulled out another picture made of the creepy white things, which he then set on the table. "It's tough," he then replied, "First contact showed that it stops bullets no problem. I'ma tell you four right now that the best way to kill them is by shooting those gaps." He pointed at the small black lines running between the white plates.

"I know it sounds simple enough, but these things gave the spec ops a hell of a time yesterday," Taylor added.

"The boys and I'll manage, Sir," Clarke assured, "I'm sure everyone else will too. Though, I'd like to know how these, uh, _golems_ function. How do they advance and attack?"

"I've to say that's the weird part, Sergeant," the LTC replied, "from what our scouts and the limited air recon have managed to get, these things just stand around in giant rows that I can only guess they will break off from."

"They likely will, yes," Steve said, "the absence of firearms shows that they'll most likely use more archaic tac-" He suddenly stopped himself and looked behind the squad towards the entrance of the tent. "What the hell was that?"

Confused, Allen looked back too, as did the others. Then, he heard shouting, though he couldn't make it out what was being said.

"The hell's going on out there, "Lieutenant L asked harshly.

"I'll go and see once we are finished here," Taylor replied, "probably some volunteer kid got bit a-" He was suddenly cut off by multiple shots being heard. All men in the tent tensed up and the geared soldiers' hands went to their weapons. The entrance curtains were suddenly opened by another trooper.

"We've got contact," he yelled, "come on." This got the squad moving. With Clarke in the lead, they ran out. As he ran across the rocky terrain, Allen shielded his eyes from the sun with one hand and unclicked his rifle's safety with the other. The 'smart goggles' attached to his helmet should've lessened the Sun, but he just figured that it didn't apply when it was screwed by magic.

* * *

His eyes having fully adjusted and able to see around him, Allen saw that pretty much everyone else was also heading towards the camp's west end, like them. At the edge of their encampment, a small battlefield had opened up, with multiple groups of 'golems' rushing out of a large cloud of dust that they'd somehow created a few feet away from the perimeter. Looking above them, he saw some of the flying spheres coming out from the dusty mass as well. Allen finally stopped, perhaps a few steps ahead of 'safe' distance, and brought up his weapon. Then, aiming down the attached sight and doing his best to hit the fast-moving targets' weak spot, he began firing, his squad doing the same beside him.

Though the attacking armored thingies lacked range with the bladed weapons, they were surprisingly agile for being so large. As he fired shots at them, Allen kept himself at the ready, able to bolt at any time one of the enemies happened to get too close. Aside from their dusty cover, the 'golems' seemed to use very little of actual tactics, simply rushing at the troops in their small teams between rows of the barbed wire located at the tents' edge. Despite a lot of bullets visibly bouncing off their armor, the continued fire from at least a hundred soldiers in different directions still ended with a lot getting shot and just collapsing onto the ground, only to be jumped over by new ones. Still, following some of his fellow soldiers' lead, Joseph started to slowly step backwards. This process, filled by gunfire and shouting, went on for some five minutes at least.

Still, Allen began looking for places to take cover, as his HK rifle's thirty round magazine was certainly starting to run dry, despite him making short bursts. Right as he spotted a safe spot behind the corner of a tent, pure instinct made him look up to barely dodge a flying sphere, which had shot at him from somewhere above. It hit the ground and bounced back up (thankfully not at him), before turning to look at the soldier with angry, glowing eyes. Allen brought his rifle up and pulled the trigger, only to hear a familiar click.

"Shit," he muttered. They angry-eyed sphere made a strange shriek-like noise that to Allen sounded almost like a radio glitch, before swinging its' entire _body_ backwards and then launching itself at him again. The soldier grasped the stock of his rifle and hit back with all his might. Though the impact felt pretty heavy and made him stagger a bit, the blow knocked the metal ball backwards. The next moment, three shots were heard and it fell down onto the ground.

Looking to the side, Allen saw Jacques, pistol drawn. "Go! Reload," he shouted.

"Got it," the PFC replied," Thanks, man!" He dodged behind the corner of the tent and quickly ejected the empty mag, switching it out for another in his vest. In the background, the shooting and shouting had started to die down slightly. He then pushed the fresh load into the gun, before leaning out and taking a look at the still largely one sided firefight. The armored figured had finally began to try more advanced tactics. Allen first saw that many other soldiers, including his squad, had begun taking cover behind the tents and other larger objects, mostly to avoid what the flying thing had almost done to him. Looking in the other direction, he saw that a few Specialists with marksman rifles had begun specifically aiming for the flying buggers.

On the enemies' side, in front of the dust cloud, which was suspiciously still present, rows of the creatures had positioned them as cover in a way that made it much harder to spot or even shoot the black lines or 'face' area. Looking closer, he saw that more had taken a weird stance behind them, bringing the scythe-weapons back and then swinging them up and forwar-

Oh, damn it! Allen immediately pulled himself back, already hearing the thrown weapons swoosh powerfully through the air, even from that far away. The next moment, he heard the ripping of the tents' heavy fabric and loud clangs on metal, before there was another swoosh, this time much quieter and followed by silence. The PFC carefully peeked back out.

"Everyone alright," he heard Clarke loudly ask.

"Fine here," Allen replied, followed by his other squadmates also yelling out their status. Thankfully, it sounded like no one else had got hit either, as everyone had got into proper cover by then. He raised his gun and looked down the sight towards the golems, only to see that through whatever _magic_, the weapons had ended back in their arms.

Without much thinking, he shouted: "Shoot at them before they have a chance to do that again!"

From his position, he then began firing again, trying to go specifically for the ones who threw the weapons before. A second later, there was once again gunfire everywhere. Still, less of the creatures were getting hit, thanks to their new cover. Allen feared that they would keep throwing the scythes, forcing the Americans to give up the edge of the camp. He was also beginning to suspect that there were more of them behind, keeping the dust cloud up in whatever way.

"We've got to act, Captain," he shouted at Clarke and Bill who were covering themselves behind a small metal container for something, "otherwise they'll push us back."

"And how the hell do you think we'll do that," the Specialist yelled back, "They're too far to throw 'nades and our gun's don't have launchers. Trying now's just gonna get someone dead." Yes, unfortunately with all the equipment updates the army had been getting, one thing that couldn't be imported in big enough quantities were underbarrel grenade launchers for their new German rifles.

"Well, just tell the guys who're closer," Allen replied angrily, "we've got to do _some_thing!"

"Men, will you shut the _hell_ up and let me think for a moment," Clarke snapped, making the PFC shut up and send a few more shots at the golems. Moments later, he had to reload his gun again. Bringing himself fully into cover. Suddenly, he noticed from the side that three other soldiers were running towards them from the southern side of the camp.

"They're flanking from the side, god damn it! We need some backup," he heard one shout. Then next moment, he heard another loud swoosh and saw a flying scythe come from _somewhere_ above, flying past and barely missing one of the retreating troopers, who had to roll forwards.

"A few of them slipped in, Clarke," the same soldier who'd spoken before said, getting into cover besides Allen, "More of our boys have already began defending the perimeter, so we only need to kill them. Get your boys and let's go!"

"We've got our hands full here, Corporal Tick," the Sergeant said loudly, as the PFC and the two other soldiers pointed their weapons at the direction where the scythe had come from, prepared to shoot. Down the gap between the tents to the south, Allen saw and heard more of the creatures being shot at.

"Yes, we're _all_ busy," the Corporal said behind them, "but we still can't let them get away. What if they get to the COs?" Joseph himself would've certainly gone off to neutralize the golems. Their squad didn't need to remain at the western checkpoint, since there were a lot of people holding the golems back over there. Reservists or part of the army, they were all well trained.

"Will we look around then, Sarge," Allen asked, looking back at Clarke.

"If you want, fine," Clarke replied, "go with Tick's guys and see if you can shoot them. We'll stay back here and see if anyone thinks of a way to push these bastards out."

"Understood," the soldier said, as the Corporal and his two companions started moving, with him following. He'd met Robert Tick a few times before and knew he'd served in Saudi Arabia with Clarke during the war four years prior. Who the other soldiers were, he didn't know, though one of them had a pump-action shotgun instead of an assault rifle and wore a different Specialized Combat Vest, with his face fully covered by a tactical mask.

* * *

The tents in the western side were raised fairly close to save space, as the trucks and 4X4s were packed together on the eastern side, where it was most safe. Keeping their guns up, the four troopers navigated through the grid of portable structures, the sustained background gunfire coming from multiple directions now. For at least eight tense minutes, they carefully walked forward, checking into the various empty 'lanes', as most of the soldiers had gone to the edges to help defend, with the PFC starting to wonder how the big things managed to be _so_ stealthy.

"Hey, Bobby, where d'you think they are," one of Tick's squadmates asked, whispering.

"Don't know," the Corporal replied to him, "something's fishy though."

"Kurtzman, Tick, think for a moment," the soldier with the shotgun then said, looking back, "this'll clearly be an ambush. Watch out."

"I'm not sure 'bout that," Allen commented, "the things seem pretty dumb, rushing the camp like that."

"Well, these three got through," the shotgunner spoke, "and they're at least _somewhat_ smart. You know, we saw that dust cover be made by a few of them digging 'nto the earth with those scythe things."

Allen's eyes widened. That made a lot of sense and showed that the golems knew a bit of tactics, which obviously was going to be bad for them.

"Who cares if they made a little mess," 'Kurtzman' spoke out, "the things're still cavemen compared to us. We'll kick their asses no problem."

"Just shut up and focus," Tick said, annoyed, "I really don't want to die right now."

Allen and the other two nodded and kept looking around, trying to find any clue as to where the golems were.

Then, just as they were making their way through another four-way path between the heavy fabric houses, him in the very back, there was multiple loud screeches, sounding even more aggressive than the one that shine-ball had made earlier, as all three golems came into view, one literally tearing itself out of a tent where it had apparently been hiding. Allen and his fellow soldiers shouted in surprise.

A fraction of a second later, the three attacked, leaving the humans almost no time to react. They all swung forward, the one on the left hitting Kurtzman who was in front of Allen, making him basically fly in the other direction to the ground and almost getting him too, as he, once again, dodged back at the last second. As Tick and the shotgunner fired a few feet away, for a second, Allen got to look at the poor unmoving soldier who'd gotten hit and saw a _lot_ of red. He screamed and pulled the trigger, right as the creature turned towards him to swing again, firing in full auto and thankfully hitting the right spot, as it staggered backwards and collapsed.

He looked behind where it had stood at the exact moment another threw Tick's weapon out of his hands, before slamming him onto the ground with the handle of the scythe and using its' other arm to _punch_ him in the head, making him fall over instantly. A second later, the shotgunner fired at its' weak spot point blank, blowing bits of the white armor away. After another second, the last remaining creature hit his arm with the scythe, making him clutch it and fall down, before the savage thing kicked him in the face. Finally reacting, Allen quickly brought his gun up again and pulled the trigger, only to hear a click. Damn it! He'd spent it all on the one that hit Kurtzman.

Knowing there was no time to reload, he tried to pull out his M9, but the golem had already closed the distance between them. It hit him square in the chest with the scythe's tip, the powerful blow knocking him to the ground.

The force of the impact caused a dull pain in both Allen's chest and the back of his head. For a few moments, even his vision was blurry. The pistol had been knocked out of his hand, so he could only try to crawl backwards. In mere moments, however, the golem was over him. It placed one foot on his chest and raised its' scythe. Though its' 'face' was just pure blackness, Joseph couldn't feel like somebody was staring him down from there. He tried to not care. The creature would be killed anyway, as would the others. He tried telling himself that he'd just be one of the hopefully few casualties of a successful operation.

Suddenly, he heard a loud gunshot. The golem staggered backwards, before collapsing into a pile in front of Allen's legs. His head still hurting, he shakily sat up and looked around. Standing a few feet away was a figure he recognized as Lieutenant L, holding a giant revolver and still only wearing his military uniform, although he'd gotten a combat helmet. Strangely enough, there was also a green megaphone attached to his belt.

The PFC shook his head, clearing it even more, before looking at the officer again. The man approached, eyeing both him and his surroundings.

"The hell 're you looking at," he then said, "get off your ass." Allen nodded and pushed himself to his feet, while the Lt holstered his revolver and walked past him to where the other soldiers laid. He turned around to see L crouching down over Tick and the guy who'd had the shotgun, while he staggered over to his pistol to pick it up.

"They're dead," the officer said darkly, "Shit." He then stood back up and glanced at Kurtzman, who Allen still couldn't bring himself to look at for more than a few seconds. He'd seen quite a few friendlies die during his time in the Middle East, but this kind of brutality was something he had never experienced before. Half of these soldiers, he'd only known for a few minutes.

"I'm not even going to bother checking him," L continued, "we'll have the medics pick them up later. Now come on, we've got to get back."

"Sorry, Sir," Allen said, catching his breath, "I- I need a minute."

"We're short on time, Private Allen," the Lieutenant replied angrily, "Now show me why the _fuck_ you were considered Ranger material and lead the damn way!"

The CO's vulgar statement giving him a bit of encouragement, Allen nodded, not even bothering to think how L knew about that, before properly reloading his rifle, which thankfully had been held on him by its' strap, and saying: "Understood, Sir. Let's go."

"That's somewhat better," the Lt muttered, his expression almost resembling a smirk for a moment, "South side's already defended. We're going back to _our_ squad and fully pushing these metallic pests out of our camp."

He pulled out his alarmingly big handgun again and motioned for Allen to go first. The PFC nodded and began sprinting in the direction the most gunfire was still coming from, with the officer following.

* * *

Eventually, they came to the western battlefield. Even though the golems had apparently been pushed back in the south, there was still a considerable amount of gunfire here and it was clear that the state was the same as before, with both sides unable to push forward. Allen and L quickly ran to the tent the former had taken cover behind earlier. Both Clarke and Bill were still behind the metal container, though they had now been joined by someone the PFC could only guess was Junior Lt Steve, who was wielding an assault rifle he didn't recognize. Unlike the older foreigner, he was also now entirely covered by black tactical gear.

Steve was the first to notice them. "Look who finally came," he said, his voice muffled a bit by his tactical mask, before saying something in a way Allen didn't understand.

L then replied in what was probably the same language, followed by an audible chuckle and another phrase.

"Well," the Sergeant then said loudly, getting their attention " it is good to have you two with us. How'd the hunt go, Allen?"

"I'll talk about it later," the PFC yelled, earning a suspicious look from the Sarge and Bill.

"Alright, I'm just gonna presume we're all here," L shouted, "so it's go time."

"Private Pierre and Corporal Brooks are bit closer with another squad, but yes," Clarke replied, "so what the hell is it that you two want to do, Sir?"

"Oh, it's something _very_ simple," the Lieutenant explained, "The portable mortars are already set up. We're getting the people here to fall back, before showering these things with shrapnel."

"Wait, are you actually serious," Bill asked, looking angry, "have you lost it already? That's asinine. It'll no doubt cause damage to the tents." Allen wasn't sure about the officer's plan either, worriedly looking at Steve.

"Are we actually doing that, Sir," he asked.

"Yes, he talked the LTC and I into it," the officer replied, "besides, loss of equipment is better than the possibility of someone getting hit."

"It's a good show of force too," the older Lieutenant added.

"Sir, I firmly believe that idea is fu-," the Specialist tried to say, before being cut off by Clarke.

"I'm not that sure about it either, Johnson, but it has a chance to work." He looked at L. "How'll we do it, Sir?"

"Yes, how will you," Steve also asked from behind them, emitting another quiet chuckle. In response, the officer's hand went to his belt and unbuckled the megaphone.

"Just give me some damn cover. I'll be exposed," he said, before moving away from the tent, revolver in one hand and the megaphone in the other. Then, he pointed the latter towards the golems who were still slowly trying to advance and all the other troops who were behind cover and showering them with gunfire.

"**Attention all units**," he began, the megaphone making his voice _very_ loud, "**This is Commanding Officer Lihve. I am ordering you to fall back into the camp immediately. This area will shortly be bombarded by precision mortars, which'll hopefully make these bastards finally leave us alone. I repeat, get the hell back if you don't want yourselves shredded**."

Immediately, the other soldiers went on the move. Most stood up from their cover spots and began running towards them, with a few standing in place and providing covering fire, making sure the golems stayed where they were. Soon, they reached and went past Allen and the rest of his squad. Among them, he saw Jacques and Brooks making their way towards them.

"**There's other troops waiting at where it is safe to take cover**," the Lieutenant finished up with the megaphone, before attaching it to his belt again. At that moment, the two others finally reached the squad.

"Sarge, are we really going through with this," Jacques asked, Brooks looking worried as well, though he remained silent like usual.

"Yes, Pierre," Clarke replied, "we'll go back with the others so that they can raise hell here."

"Alright then, let's get moving," said L, as he started sprinting, motioning for them to follow. As the squad fell back with the others, the final few who had remained to shoot at the white creatures did so as well.

* * *

They had barely reached a 'safe' distance when the first mortar shots went off. Even though these were specialized for precision, Allen still knew that the tents around that area would likely not survive the strikes. The bangs were quite loud and frequent and the mood around seemed to be 'off' so for the following ten minutes, during which the strikes commenced, nobody said anything. The squad simply stood where they were, though at one point, L left for a few minutes.

The PFC spent this time thinking, his mind mainly focusing on his incredibly lucky survival earlier, but also worried about how difficult this operation was _actually_ going to be, as even though the cannons would definitely take care of the ones over here, there was apparently still a lot of the white creatures between them and point E. Other than that, there really wasn't much to think about, other than their foreign officers', mostly L's, _interesting_ method of clearing hostiles.

Then, the mortars stopped firing. A few more minutes passed, before Steve put his hand up and signaled for them to get moving. With the Lieutenants and Sergeant in the front, the squad led the others back towards the western perimeter. As Allen had predicted, the surrounding tents were completely demolished by the charges, as were the golems, with no visible movement. Their artificial cloud of dust had begun to settle as well, a number of white figures visibly getting farther.

Some of the soldiers cheered, while a few others made their way to the edge, probably checking if any of the creatures had stayed around. Clarke lead the squad to a tent that seemed the most intact, before they all entered, the four lesser ranks sitting down on a bench at the side, while the three higher-rankers found and sat down on chairs that weren't that demolished. There was silence for a few seconds.

"This could've been worse," Steve then said, looking around.

"I'd disagree, sir," responded Clarke in a strict tone, "I've heard that back in your home, this weird branch of yours does special ops and the such, but down here, bombing your own bases is too much."

"Well, I'd like to apologize for being efficient and stopping an attack in a little more than an hour," L stated, sarcasm apparent in his voice.

"Yes, and the counterattack will hopefully be much less destructive," added Steve, "to us, that is. Not them, we'll kill them.

"Yeah, speaking of that," the older Lieutenant started, before saying something in their language, to which the other replied, before standing up.

"Where're you going, Sir," Bill asked from besides Allen.

"To discuss thing with the Lieutenant Colonel and to get _his_ gear ready." The officer pointed at his companion, before walking out of what was left of the tent's entrance.

After that, there was a few moments of awkward silence between the remaining soldiers. Eventually, Bill spoke up again. "This is still bullshit if you ask me. All the offence, Sir."

"I'd actually have to agree with Johnson, Lieutenant," said Clarke, looking around the tent, "we would've been able to hold them off no problem."

"That would've taken too much time," L defended himself, "time we can now use."

"Yeah, but there was no point," Jacques said, "these imbeciles didn't even hit us when they threw those stupid scythe things."

"Really? Thank you for being lucky and preventing any more casualties, then, Private," The Lt said, "Thank you for not getting cut in half."

"Wait, what do you mean, Sir," the Sarge asked, "did these things actually kill someone on the southern side?"

"No, Sergeant," L replied, before looking at the PFC, "Allen, if you would care to explain."

"Alright, Sir," he responded grimly, "Our little hunting party went to hell. Goddamn things managed to ambush us."

"What? Allen, tell me it wasn't that bad," Clarke asked.

"It was," the soldier confirmed, "they killed the others. I would've been dead too if the Lieutenant hadn't been there to save my ass."

"Was pure luck. I took down the last one, " L added.

"God damn it," the Sergeant muttered, "Tick too?"

"Yes, Sir," Allen said, "all three. Quickly as hell too."

"God damn it," Clarke hissed, before turning towards L and saying: "Sir, in how long do you estimate we'll be ready to move out?"

A spark seemingly lit in the Lt's eyes, as he replied: "Two to three hours. I think it's best if we actually brought some heavier equipment."

At this, the Sergeant stood up, prompting Allen, Brooks and L to do so as well. Bill and Jacques sent suspicious looks at them.

"Sarge," the Canadian-American asked, "are you sure about this?"

"Well," the Lieutenant said, "he _is_ legally obligated to."

"Fine then," Jacques replied, standing up, "Let's go play Avengers." Bill and Allen rolled their eyes.

"Come on then, men, " the Sergeant said, already at the exit, "let's move." He made his way outside, followed by L and Allen. Having stepped out, he shielded his eyes from the white Sun. Suddenly, his sight was completely filled by pure white and his head went numb, forcing him to use both hands to clutch it. Through the white, weird images then flashed, so quickly that he had no way of catching them. He then heard a definitely non-human voice say: "_Stop_!"

The next moment, not even ten seconds after it had started, it ended. The numbness in Allen's head vanished and he could see the surroundings again.

"What was that," Bill suddenly yelled, "What the _fuck_ was that?" Around him, the rest of the squad also looked alarmed, Brooks still clutching his head. The only person who looked unaffected was L, though he wore a grim expression. "Did you all feel that," he asked, to which Allen nodded, Clarke doing the same.

"Then things could be worse than we thought," the Lieutenant said loudly, "Follow me. We're regrouping with Steve and moving out in an hour and a half."

"Yes, Sir," the squad said in tandem, before moving back to the center of the camp. Whatever the hell had just happened, if the enemy was behind it, then it couldn't have been good.

* * *

**THE PALE KING**

* * *

The Wyrm would have liked to tell himself that the show of might that was the blast of mind-magic was nothing for him, but with his current capacity for energy, that wasn't true. The assault on the humans' encampment had taken a lot of focus and had been a steady drain to his energy. Blast it all! These godless creatures' weapons were definitely more powerful than his Kingsmoulds. It made the king actually fear. The worship from only thirty commonbugs and a hundred more sentries wouldn't grow his power enough.

The only thing he felt content was his own ingenuity when improvising with the arid environment of the surface desert. Through his precise command, the constructs had managed to use the rocky sand to create a cover for those that went forward to attack, despite the latters' inability to achieve much. He had also managed to breach the humans' area with a small attack from another side, getting three Kingsmoulds, whom he began to directly control, inside and even managing to kill off three enemy sentries.

Still, even that hadn't gone entirely well, as before he was able to depose of the last sentry in the group, two of the three Kingsmoulds already destroyed, he'd been shot and cut off by another human. Though he only got a glimpse at them, he understood that the unarmored one must have been a leader, as he'd sensed a strange energy within it. He also felt a similar energy inside of another, who'd held back his forces at the main battlefield, one dressed in different garments to the other sentries' armor.

Soon, the humans had retreated and the Wyrm had even thought his forces could advance, but then, the godless ones had used some weapon that launched many lethal stones at the constructs, destroying most and forcing him to make the few remaining ones retreat. He had lost the battle.

Now, all the Pale King could think of was the imminent attack by the humans on the rest of his Kingsmoulds waiting between them and his first town on the surface, the one its' new noble owner would hopefully soon rename to start with the erasure of its' past human identity. Their weapons were more powerful than anything he had, as the chief scholar hadn't sent any new reports yet and there was also the factor of vengeance. The king was aware of how much his own sentries cared for their brothers and sisters in arms and had no doubt that the human ones would be much different.

Yes, despite their perfection in other areas, the Kingsmoulds would only slow down the advancing human army. The only other thing that could've stalled them was the powerful mind-wave that he'd sent out moments before. He didn't have enough energy for anything else yet.

But he needed it. Needed it!

From where could the Wyrm attain more power right away? That was a topic he needed to focus on. Of course, he was the most powerful higher being in Hallownest, user of Pale energy from his kind's birthplace. The creator of Greenpath, Unn, used Life energy that which Gods of her type used to grow environments flourishing with plants and creatures. He had no use for that.

Then it dawned on him.

"_Servant, come to me_," the king boomed powerfully. Immediately, one of his retainers scurried over from the door to his throne.

"My lord, ever so Pale, what is it that you wish," the loyal bug asked, bowing.

"_Grave matters are afoot_," the Pale King explained, "_For reasons of much importance, I must leave the palace. Order the organization of an escort party_."

Though he could sense momentary doubt in the mortal before him, they quickly replied: "Of course, my lord. Where would these sentries take you to?"

"_I shall be escorted to the old queen's gardens._"

* * *

**And here we have something entirely different and likely inaccurate to the real life army. Alwats remember that using fancy words you looked up on the internet makes you look smart. **

**As you can probably guess, these new foreigners are more important than it currently seems, as is our new POV, whom I am sure some of you recognized. **

**Sadly, school has started and I may have to start putting out shorter chapters again. Still, I hope you enjoyed this one. R&R about the more militaristic style, as I really want to know your opinion on it.**


	18. Chapter 16: Preparations

Chapter 16: Preparations

* * *

**JUSS**

* * *

"Again," the human shouted, bringing his sword up. The bruised-looking and heavily breathing hornet nodded and did the same with his 'nail'. The kid's instinctual determination surprising the general once again.

For the past day, he had been training the changed young man, having started a little after when he'd _surprised_ him and the princess at their training chamber. Mentally, the human had set himself apart from his modern mindset and in line with the one he'd gained from the more _medieval_ places he had visited. Of course, as training began, he'd been and still was aware that a lot of the kid's aggression came from his new species, but that didn't mean he wasn't willing to put it to use, as it helped them get through the more demanding exercises. And it had begun to pay off. Throughout the day, Lembit had noted that Max's reflexes had been improving more and more. Of course, he'd also had a few duels with Hornet, which had been much politer, but still helpful enough. Though the human was interested in the extent of the two's relationship, doubting if what they had was only friendship.

The combat style he was teaching him really seemed to click too, with the hornet seemingly preferring the heavy blows over the more acrobatic and flowing method that the Halfling princess used. Hornet's way of fighting was good, though not entirely perfect, as Lembit noticed she sometimes left herself open to attacks for too long after landing from an aerial dash. Still, when she was focused on defense, hitting her was fairly hard, as she always either parried or dodged out of the way.

With Max, however, it was a different story. With his style being more up-close and personal, he had to be vary of taking more hits. The problem was that he indeed took them, a lot of them. While the hornet parried from the front, saving the face-mask and midsection, it almost seemed like he forgot he also had sides. Now, the human couldn't be sure if it was just carelessness or another of the bug's newfound tribal memories, as from what he'd heard from the queen during a meeting in the morning, they sounded like the types that had enjoyed bloodshed. This had caused them to take a few more breaks than planned, to the protest of Max, where the healer bees used their, well, _magic honey_ to mend the cuts and bruises. Still, they'd been making progress, mostly thanks to Lembit's strictness and the hornet's unrelenting attitude.

It felt somewhat good to train someone like this again. To have to teach the next generation to fight for the greater good. The kid was tough too, so that helped, though the general feared that he wasn't that acquainted with his own limits yet. During breaks, he'd also been giving small bits of advice to the princess, considering the recent changes in her mind. Her impressionability would hopefully become a good asset in the following years.

As Max yelled and charged at him with his nail, Lembit chuckled at himself internally. Even after all these years, what he did sometimes felt a little wrong, as he did technically _use_ these young, talented and powerful people caught in wars. A point of solace was that by doing that, he was helping them in his own way. Yeah, was content with putting it like that.

* * *

In the fraction of a second, he then brought his own sword up, parrying the young hornet's blow and pushing him backwards. That didn't stagger him for even a few moments, as he quickly made two quick slashes at the human, both of which he blocked, although not with too much ease. He didn't know if it was the magic honey or just adrenaline, but Max's blows were considerably powerful, especially, it seemed, against him. As the hornet charged, Hornet was standing on the side, watching the two. Though her masked face could show little emotion to the human, his charm had at least given him the ability to read the eyes. Quickly glancing at her between blocks, the princess seemed fairly involved in the duel. Though thankfully, unlike the previous ones, she was silent, not yelling advice to Max between clashes.

Now though, he went for a counterattack against Max, swinging his sword towards the hornet's side. Surprisingly, he finally managed to properly dodge the attack, slipping behind him and trying to go for another hit, which he proudly announced with what Lembit guessed was a war cry. Unfortunately for the bug, he couldn't let that happen and promptly swung himself around and gave him a backhand slap.

This caused the hornet to take a couple unstable steps backwards to keep himself from falling down. A moment later, his gaze refocused on the human and he went on the offensive again. Steadily moving backwards Lembit blocked three more strikes at the front and a punch Max tried to throw in. Then, the bug pulled himself into a defensive stance, which was one of the many things the human had advised him to do before.

Still, it wasn't low enough. Quickly enough that his aged bones actually alerted him of it, Lembit crouched down and swiped with one of his legs. Then, he pushed Max so that he didn't only go down, but backwards too. That didn't mean the general was done though. The youngling had managed to hold on to his nail, meaning he could still defend himself. And if he failed, another cut wouldn't be that bad, considering he could get it healed afterwards.

He walked in front of the stunned Max. Then, this time yelling victoriously himself, the general brought his sword to the left side with both hands, aiming for one of the legs. His shout having snapped the hornet out of his stupor, he brought his nail up at the last second, managing to parry the claymore. The hit bounced the larger sword back and surprised Lembit, though positively so. Still, he didn't want this fight to last too much longer, so he swung it back towards Max's arm. This time, he didn't react well enough and the larger blade hit his arm, making him drop his weapon and leaving a noticeable scratch.

"I believe that is another victory for me," Lembit casually said, offering a hand to the hornet, "though I have to admit that you're doing pretty good considering the time already. You'll get that arm patched up later."

"Thanks a lot. I think I can do a few more," Max replied, pulling himself up with his help, before quietly hissing and clutching the arm that'd been hit.

"Our session's been going for some time, Max," said Hornet, "I think we should take a break."

"Yes, she's right," the human agreed, "_you_ should take a breather." He looked over to the princess. "However, you've been mostly exempt from our practice the last few hours," he continued, pointing at the female bug. Lembit actually really wanted to fight with her again, due to the way the two duels they'd had earlier in the day went.

"I have been offering Max valuable advice," she responded, "that's been most certainly helpful."

"Really? Because I am fairly sure it has been distracting him instead," Lembit retorted, "But enough excuses. Come on here. Let's begin."

"Very well," Hornet said, sighing, before muttering in a barely audible voice, "this shall be tiring."

"It is supposed to be," the human said, prompting a surprised look from her, "you need to learn more of fighting stronger-hitting targets, like I am."

"I do know how do to it," she responded, "it is simply that they are not usually this able to keep up with my attacks."

Lembit looked at her strictly. "I thought I asked to stop with the excuses?" He couldn't resist being petty sometimes.

The remark visibly annoyed the princess. She was about to say something else, but was stopped by Max, who had walked to a spot beside her, still holding his scratched arm: "He's trying to irk you, Hornet. Just get it done with. Stick it to him."

"Very well," the female said, grabbing her yellow weapon from the side of the wall and walking towards Lembit, "I shall. Prepare yourself, hyu-man."

The _human _just rolled his eyes. "I hope your confidence carries over to the battlefield," he told her, raising his own sword and bringing it to his front, prepared to block incoming attacks.

"I most certainly shall," the princess replied, also readying herself. Then, she launched forward with the needle, only for Lembit to use his sword to block, then slide her past him. Hornet landed and quickly turned around.

"Go on," the human encouraged, bringing his sword in front of him again, "try again. I know we both want this to be interesting."

Giving him nothing but a quick solemn nod, the female went for him again this time going low and sliding into his feet. The general sidestepped and went to block the strike she shot up with the next moment. He then made a slash of his own, which was parried by the warrior, who got up. They exchanged a few attacks in close range, both being always blocked by the other. Wishing to get some space, the human grabbed onto his opponents midsection, before kneeing her with mild force. She let out a small yelp, as she flew a few meters backwards, before landing on her feet and snarling.

"Come on, Hornet, you can do it," Max cheered her on from the side, before the princess sent a visibly annoyed glance at him, shutting the hornet up. Having had his gaze on her the whole match, the human used this momentary opening to run forward for an offensive of his own. He then sent a strong hit at her from the side, which she barely managed to react to, quickly swinging her own needle up, making the two clash with a loud clang. The blow was powerful enough to send both of them staggering away from each other for a few seconds. Lembit found himself impressed, as she hadn't gotten any chances to show how strong she was during their two previous duels, her strikes having always being fast and light.

"Is this the 'interesting' you wished for, General," Hornet asked, breathing heavily and having recovered at roughly the same time as the human.

He responded with a smirk, before asking: "Maxwell, what do you think? Has this been interesting so far?" Of course, he didn't take his eyes off the bug girl for a single moment, which she didn't do with him either, having quickly learned from her previous mistake.

"Actually, I'd like to know that as well, Max," she then said despite it.

"You're doing great," the hornet said, looking at the female bug, before turning towards Lembit, "you're, pretty good too, uh, Sir."

"Thank you," Hornet replied, "Now, _Sir_, shall we continue?" The general nodded, placing his left foot a bit farther for some more stability, ready for the attack he anticipated from her.

There was moment of tense silence. Then, the warrior shot forward once again. She went low and slid beside the human, who swung at her from above with the intent of cutting the duel short However, she parried mid-slide, before getting behind him. The moment Lembit turned around, she shot up into the air, spinning, and then dashing back down at him with her blade readied.

Surprised, the human used both hands to block with his blade, intent on catching onto the princess and throwing her to the ground. However, once the warrior made contact with the sword, she evaded his counterattack and landed a kick on his chest, using it to flip backwards. Lembit was knocked back, but not off his feet, bringing his sword to a protective position as he breathed. Not even a second after that, Hornet attacked again, hitting with her needle and forcing him backwards once more.

Despite the tiring attacks, Lembit was exhilarated. Not only did he finally get a proper challenge when it came to fighting with proper blades, but his new ally, Hornet, already showed so much skill, despite not even being aware of how much more she could do. Though he realized how tragic they ultimately were, her apparent _decades _alone had at least given the warrior something.

Damn it. He was letting his mind wander too much.

With a wide slash, he forced Hornet to retreat for a few moments, using them to fully recover, before properly gripping the sword with both hands, prepared for the clash he was sure would be the last one in the duel. This time there would be no interruptions.

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

The warrior eyed her opponent. So far, she had already tried multiple approaches against the hyu-man,_'Yuss'_ , unlike the earlier fights when she'd just dashed at him and only used her momentum to attack. This had helped her, as it'd seemed to really wear down the general in the last few seconds. However, it hadn't weakened him one bit, as it was still very important that Hornet dodged his blows or at the very least parried them.

Yes, this duel was a rush and she enjoyed every moment of it. Max seemed to be entertained as well, clearly on her side, which she found more appealing than she probably should've, although she now understood why the hyu-man hadn't liked her giving the hornet so much vocal advice during his training sessions.

Still, she found it somewhat important. After all, training Max was their ultimate goal. However, right now, she was planning on showing the General why her friend and she shouldn't be disrespected. It wasn't that she didn't like his way of training, as the aggressive approach was very effective in her opinion, but the hyu-man's comments to them still sounded overly arrogant or condescending at times and she didn't like it, which she wished to make clear.

With her blade.

Both the General and her were completely silent and visibly tensed up, holding themselves in battle stances. Hornet kept her eyes only on the hyu-man, as the slip-up when Max interrupted them earlier had allowed him to attack. Of course, she'd learned from it and had stayed focused solely on him since.

Now, she was planning on finally beating him. The warrior lowered herself slightly, prepared to make the decisive dash at her weakened opponent. Suddenly, she heard a Hiveling at the chamber's entrance.

"Hello, human general. Do you have a moment," the worker asked, hovering in the doorway.

* * *

Hornet felt incredibly frustrated and it was safe to say that her opponent did the same, as he let out an audible groan. She did not blame him. This was the third time a duel between them had been interrupted. They had first attempted one in the morning, after the general had already done a few with Max, even managing to give him a leg wound, though not a serious one by any means. Before letting the hornet visit Apisia to get healed with Hiveblood (something that they would do multiple times during the course of the day due to his rather recklessness in combat), the hyu-man had asked Hornet if they could demonstrate a real fight together. Something that she had happily obliged to.

However, just after she'd struck her first dash, a Hiveling tactician had entered the room, saying that they needed some urgent advice from the hyu-man warchief. Of course, he had gone, leaving Hornet to take Max to their healer friend. She actually hadn't minded it, as it gave her some time to spend with the hornet. After the novice warrior's wound had been taken care of, they had returned to the general already back from whatever he'd been needed for. Still, the rush and mood had been interrupted, so they'd decided to go back to focusing on Max's training.

After a few hours of practicing with the hornet (including another visit to the healer), the hyu-man had once again offered to duel with the princess, which she'd obviously agreed to, as she had still very much wanted to test her blade against the general. So, with Max once again spectating, they'd taken their positions. This time, her opponent had gotten the first attack, having yelled out some hyu-man word, which'd distracted Hornet, letting him catch her off guard.

Still, just as she had parried two fairly powerful blows from her opponent, another Hiveling, this time a Soldier, had appeared at the door, again requesting the general's presence. Once more, he had left, though Hornet had heard him grumble of some other hyu-man named _Murr-fee_ for some reason. Still, it'd given her a chance to do some lighter dueling with her friend, as the last ones he'd had with his other trainer had been quite rough, though at least he hadn't hurt him too bad.

Yes, Hornet knew that she had a soft spot for Max and she did not care if it became an obstacle in properly training him. At least currently, he was still doing very well, despite the recklessness that she noticed was beginning to dissipate.

After the hyu-man had returned, he'd been rather frustrated, not wishing to continue the duel. Instead, he'd ordered them _both_ to perform a large number of push-ups while he stood aside, before muttering about being surrounded by amateurs. That was the thing that hadn't sat well with Hornet. She was the furthest one could be from an amateur.

Thankfully, the general's mood had rapidly improved and they resumed Max's normal training schedule soon after. Despite the clearly demanding exercises and duels, the hornet had managed to endure for some three more hours before showing a single sign of weariness, which'd both surprised the warrior and made her proud. Before the infection, she had once got caught in five hour battle between the Mantises and Mosskin. The results hadn't been pretty.

Still, the hyu-man must've figured that no one would bother them this late in the afternoon, initiating this third and final duel between them. And Hornet had to admit that he'd been right about her not committing for the last hour or so, though it'd mostly been due to Max focusing solely on attacking the general, leaving her to watch from the side.

Yet now, as their duel had reached what were likely its' last, most decisive moments, a Hiveling had still come to seek something from the general. Hornet looked worriedly at the worker, then at her opponent, ready to drop her stance and consider the duel failed. Max also seemed disappointed.

The hyu-man turned to look at the intruding worker.

"No," he said in a loud tone, "we're busy."

Then, he turned back towards Hornet, before dashing at her with his weapon readied, almost catching her off guard again and powerfully restarting their fight. She was incredibly surprised, but also happy, as she blocked three nail strikes and parried a stronger one. The general was unrelenting with his furious blows and left the warrior little time to react, though she still managed to do so.

A few moments later, Hornet used a momentary gap between her opponent's blows, which hopefully were his last resort, dodging back.

"Thank you for making her let us finish," she said to the general, prepared to make the final strike against the clearly wearied opponent, "However, you'll fall now!" She dashed at the heavily breathing hyu-man. Suddenly however, in the fraction of a second, his visibly wearied stance straightened and his hand shot forward. In the middle of her attack, Hornet was unable to avoid it, getting grabbed by the shoulder. In another second, her opponent slammed her to the floor, making her drop the needle, and brought his nail dangerously close to her mask.

"That was good. Really good," the hyu-man complimented, "but you forgot that this is a duel, not a hunt. You can't count on tiring me out."

"That wasn't fair," Hornet replied, breathing heavily from the impact, "you pretended."

"I could have," the general said, getting to his feet and then extending a hand for the warrior, which she begrudgingly accepted, pulling herself up.

"A good enemy could as well," he continued, looking at both her and Max, who'd come closer, "that's why you can't count on it. It may work, a lot of times even, but it can still be unreliable. Using your skill is priority."

"Alright," Max piped in, "but that fake out was still a stinger move." Hornet rolled her eyes. Though she agreed with her friend, at times, he still used more 'rough' terms like a lot of males.

"Wait what'd you-," the hyu-man started asking, before stopping himself. "Oh, that."

"Yeah," the hornet said, "us bugs use some words differently."

Hornet was simply confused. Did the word mean something else for hyu-mans? For once, she decided not to ask.

"Excuse me, human," suddenly sounded from the doorway. Hornet and her companions looked over to see the Hiveling worker still floating in the doorway.

"You finished the fight. Can I speak with you now," the small bug continued.

The general nodded. "Indeed. Now, what do you need," he asked.

"Our queen presumed that you wished to look over the soldiers we've prepared," the worker explained, "tomorrow is an important day for us all."

"That can be done. Though I am sure everything's satisfactory" the hyu-man said, though his voice had a hint of worried irony in it. The Hiveling nodded happily, before turning around to hover out the chamber, the general walking after her.

However, before exiting completely, he turned towards the two teenage bugs and said: "Hopefully, this won't take long. We're not done for today, though. I want you two to meet me in some twenty minutes in the most western hall of this place. Take your blades as well Got it?"

While Max nodded, beside him, Hornet tilted her head questioningly. What were they to do outside the empty chamber? It was still early enough for the Hive to be fully active and that meant any training out there would've most likely disturbed the Hivelings' work. The general looked at her.

"Got it," he asked again, this time with more emphasis.

"Very well," Hornet replied with a nod of her own, deciding not to stall the important hyu-man with questions.

"Good. Be there, _with_ your weapons," the general said, before walking out of the doorway.

* * *

For a few moments, both Max and Hornet stayed silent, looking at the exit. Then, they turned towards each other.

"So, um, what do you think he's going to make me do," the male asked.

"I haven't the slightest idea," Hornet replied, "I simply hope it won't disrupt the Hivelings too much."

"Yeah, I'd hate to interrupt them. They're really into their roles," Max said, "But there's a bit of time until then. What'll we do now? D'you want to stay or go to the archives?"

The warrior rolled her eyes again. "I believe our first course of action should be getting you back into good shape." She pointed at the long scratch on the hornet's arm, which he was even still clutching with his other one.

"Oh yeah, that," her friend replied, looking down as if he'd forgotten about it entirely. He let out a quiet hiss. "Doesn't hurt too much right now. I guess I'm holding it still enough," he then said, "everything else's kind of sore too."

"That just means you've done good work," Hornet spoke with approval, "But we need to get your arm fixed."

"Alright, alright," Max responded, looking at the injury again, "Let's just take it slow."

"I see no need for that," the warrior said, "you'll be able to take it. Now let's go. We haven't that much time." She grabbed her needle from the ground and walked to the doorway, before looking back at her friend, who was still standing in one spot.

"What's the matter," she asked, "it's not bad at all."

"Yes, but before, I was still in it," the hornet replied, "Now the rush's worn off."

"Then we'll get it done quickly," she affirmed, "now stop being a hatchling."

"Fine." Max slowly let go of his arm and crouched down to pick up his nail. Then, he walked beside, Hornet, who lead the way out of the room. The path to the healers' rooms were already familiar to them both for obvious reasons. They were on the same level and not very far, making the walk there only last a few minutes, during which the two bugs stayed silent.

"We've arrived," Hornet said, after they'd entered the hallway which housed the rooms.

"I noticed," Max flatly responded, "been here too much today."

"And I've seen it's taught you to be more careful in your way of fighting," the warrior spoke, "you properly defended yourself in that last one."

Her companion let out a chuckle. "Yeah, I guess I was a bit reckless in the morning."

Hornet crossed her arms, smirking. "Do not forget noon. You exposed your backside to me at one time. I didn't want to hurt you too bad, but f that was the general, he'd have gone for it."

"Wait, I did," Max asked, his eyes wide, "thank _you_ for not going for it, Hornet."

"You're welcome," the warrior replied with a smile, before turning to look at the entrance to Apisia's work chamber, "but we should really enter now."

The hornet nodded and they both walked in. Behind a Hiveling-sized desk, they saw the familiar ribbon-wearing worker shuffle around with something on her shelves. Having heard their footsteps, she turned around, holding a fairly small jug, which had a sickly sweet scent that Hornet immediately recognized as Hiveblood.

"Oh, you're finally here," Apisia said, setting the stone vessel onto her workspace. "And I certainly hope for the last time today," she added, sending an accusing look at Max, who grinned.

"What can I say," he spoke, "it's in my blood."

Both the warrior and the healer rolled their eyes. "Indeed," the latter commented, "and you'll be all out of that soon if you're not careful."

"Don't worry, Apisia, this'll hopefully be my last visit today," Max assured her.

"Oh, did the human finally let you go," she asked.

"Not exactly," Hornet replied, "I do not know why it is, but he has requested that we meet him in your Westernmost hall in some time."

"Oh my, then we'd better apply the Hiveblood quickly," the worker said, "the human is very strict. I saw him lecturing our soldiers earlier. Now that was something."

"Alright then, work your magic," the hornet spoke, placing his wounded arm onto the healer's desk.

"You know I'd do anything for relatives," Apisia replied to him, grabbing hold of her Hiveblood jar again, "even the reckless ones."

She performed the usual way of treating with the thick golden cure, which simply meant carefully pouring it over the ailed body part. Hornet watched from the side, partly waiting if her friend was going to ask for some as food again, as he'd already done so two times earlier in the day. She hadn't blamed him, really. If it wasn't for her self-discipline, the warrior would've likely asked for some as well. It was one of the few 'luxuries' she'd ever allowed herself to indulge in.

Not long after, Apisia was done with pouring the Hiveblood. Max held his treated hand still, as he was _very_ familiar with what to do. Observing from the side, Hornet already saw the cut in his shell begin to slowly close and disappear. A few more seconds and the cut had disappeared completely.

Max finally raised his arm and examined it, sighing contently, as the healer picked up a rag from under her desk to wipe the Hiveblood off. As she did so, she said: "You know, I honestly hope whatever the human will have you do isn't so bad. I don't want to bother my sisters for any more of this for today. Do you even know how much you've spent?"

"Not too much, I hope," Max replied, chuckling nervously.

"Do not worry," Hornet spoke, "I'm still supposed to have _some_ authority. If whatever the general suggests is too much for tonight, I shall decline Max from it."

"That would be a relief," Apisia agreed.

She lifted the rag and set it onto her desk. "Well, I'm done. You're fine."

"Great," Max said, before turning to Hornet, "we'll be on our way now, right?"

"Yes, we should make our way to the meeting spot," the warrior replied, "It'd be too much of a rush otherwise."

"You're right about that," her friend complied, beginning to walk back towards the hallway, "being late 's not fun."

She nodded with agreement and followed him out, while Apisia waved goodbye. Beside each other, they started heading to the Westernmost hall, which was the one that lead to the side exit they'd arrived from. As it was already early evening, the amount of Hivelings flying around had started to diminish. Most if not all guard posts had been taken up by large guardians, as many of the soldiers were preparing to take part in tomorrow's battle.

* * *

Reaching the end of a larger hallway, they finally reached their meeting spot. While not the largest hall in the Hive, the Westernmost was still important, as this was where the most skilled workers made their way to the realm of Unn to collect the essence of its' plants, which was important in the creation of Hiveblood.

Hornet and Max walked to a pillar, which was right next to the steep ledge that lead up to the exit, and leaned against it, placing their weapons on the ground. It was time to wait. The human had given them twenty minutes that the warrior knew was about one third out of an hour. However, there weren't many clocks in the Hive, as all workers were born with the necessary instinct to know when it was late or early enough. Hornet didn't have such an ability though and she sometimes wished that she had something akin to a clock, yet scaled down enough for her to carry with her.

Then she'd always realized that it would simply be a useless thing that would make her overly worried about time, which wasn't something she usually had to be concerned with.

"Ugh, where is that hyu-man," the warrior caught herself muttering.

"I've no idea," her friend replied, "But why do you always say it like that."

Hornet looked at him, tilting her head. "How do I say what," she asked.

"Human," Max continued, "you say it all weirdly. Like it's some sort of Asian word."

Oh. Hornet sort of understood what he meant. "Well," she explained, "I don't know what an _Ay-syan _is, but I feel more comfortable saying hyu-man in the Deepnest fashion."

"Oh," the hornet asked, "do your people have some sort of dialect."

"Yes, the language is the same with Hallownest," the warrior replied, "but our way of saying it was different. Sometimes less, sometimes more."

"Thank you," A strangely garbled voice suddenly spoke, "I was beginning to wonder why you said it like that."

On instinct, Hornet immediately got low stance, one hand going for her needle, while Max jumped back with, surprised. The warrior then saw the hyu-man, who was also leaning against the wax pillar, looking at them. He was wearing the strange mask that he'd had when arriving in the Hive. Then, he made a clap with his garmented hands.

"Not bad, Hornet," he said, "Not bad at all. You've got some practice, however, Max."

"How in the name of everything did you do that," Hornet asked, still low to the ground. This was beyond bizarre. Only now was she beginning to feel the general's faint, yet recognizable scent.

"Yeah," Max said, nodding, "how'd you sneak up like that and why?"

"I've said it before," the masked hyu-man spoke, "I have my ways. I've been doing this for a long time, you know." He then stood up properly and approached them, as Hornet also straightened herself, still glaring at the aged sentry. Max came closer as well, picking up his nail.

"I've got to hand it to the two of you," the general commented, "you were on time."

"Of course we were," the warrior replied, "And I take it that you have performed the needed review of the Hive soldiers?"

"Indeed," the hyu-man said, a small chuckle being heard, "It was 'satisfactory' enough. Perfectly suitable for our plan tomorrow."

"And that plan would be," Max asked, leaning against the pillar again.

"Something that you two will learn of tomorrow morning," the strict voice of the general affirmed.

"Very well, I'll accept it for now," Hornet spoke, "However, I'd like to know what sort of assignment you wish to give Max now that we are here."

"Not only him," the non-bug sentry replied, surprising her, "you as well."

"Oh," she asked, eyes widened, "Is it that serious? Why are we doing it out here then? There are a lot of Hivelings we could interrupt."

"Do not worry, they won't be disturbed at all," the hyu-man said, his hand moving to one of his garments' pocket. As it dug around, he leaned a bit closer. "The thing is," he began, "that you two are going outside the Hive."

Hornet found herself suddenly dumbstruck, many points having suddenly come up in her mind. She raised her empty hand and lifted a claw, prepared to say the most important one.

Before she could, however, the hyu-man spoke up again: "I have cleared everything out with the queen. She is fine with this, though it means that the two of you are going to have to be very careful."

The powerful Daughter of Deepnest breathed heavily, eyes even wider. Out of the corner of her vision, she saw that Max was also surprised, though it couldn't have been as half as much as she was, even without the overwhelming excitement.

"Hyu-man, Max, please excuse me for a moment," she said, before turning around and walking to the other side of the pillar.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

Wow. They'd only been inside the fairly large Hive for a few days and his friend was already so excited about getting to go outside. While the numerous 'yes's' were fairly quiet, even for his new hearing, Max could still hear her jumping with happiness.

"Wow," Max commented, "she's almost like an dog let off the leash."

"Don't say that about your friend," the General replied in a surprisingly friendly tone, "She's happy. It's being _allowed _outsidethat matters to her. The Hive queen _did_ ground her."

"Sorry," the hornet said, "didn't mean it in a bad way." He then turned towards the human. "But what did you mean by going outside? What'll we do there?"

"Well, that'll be fairly simple," his trainer spoke, his tone dead serious again, "but let us wait for the princess first."

As if on que, Hornet stepped back from the other side of the pillar, looking at Max with a genuinely happy expression on her mask. That quickly became serious as well, as she faced the general.

"What do you want us doing outside the Hive, hyu-man," she asked, "because we are ready to do anything."

"Wait, we are," Max asked, taken aback by the enthusiastic claim. The day's training had still left him a bit tired.

"Of course you are," the human said in a way that let the hornet _hear_ his smirk, "It'll be easy. I simply want you two to sneak up into the main city and return this tinderbox." He held out his hand to show a small sized wooden case with engraving on it. "I stole it the night before I came here, since I needed a way to make fire," Juss continued, "However, now that I'm here, I can just ask Adrian to give my lighter back at any time. That makes having this kind of pointless."

"While I want to go outside, I do not really agree, General," Hornet responded, "it's still a tool and should be used. You could give it to someone else. Why return it now?"

"Reputation, princess," the human replied, "among other things, you'll get to return it to its' owner and start proving who the _real_ protectors of Hallownest's bugs are."

"Thanks for the mini-speech, Sir," Max said, raising a finger, "but if we have to sneak it back, wouldn't they not know who did it."

The general glared at him. "Look, boy, this is an exercise for you to be able to remain unseen. I don't care if it isn't the most practical. It doesn't need to be. You'll just learn the values of stealth and that's what matters. Hornet will help you too." He turned around and began heading towards the ledge, the two bugs following him. Right beside it, he stopped.

"This'll also give you two a chance on seeing how that king's guards operate. Stay vigilant and observe them. It'll be useful later," he continued, "and if either of you find something unexpected that might help us later, have a look at it."

"That is understood, human," Hornet spoke, her voice full of resolve, "However, I think we'd both like to know exactly _where_ we should return this tinderbox." Max nodded. That was indeed an important detail.

"I believe I stole it from an apartment in the nobles' area of the city," the general explained, "they're on the eastern side, right?"

"Yes," the female responded, "that is indeed where the kingdom's noblebugs used to live."

"Good, then it'll be easy to find," the human continued, "It'll likely have light coming from the windows and I doubt any other house in the area will have any residents yet."

"Okay," Max summed up the information, "so we sneak into the city find the fancy house to return the tinderbox. Got it. What'll we do when someone sees us?"

"Well, you'll be taking your weapons," Juss said, his tone growing slightly more sinister, "and you can't afford getting spotted, so if any of the guards see you, _deal with them accordingly_. I taught you what to do."

O- Okay, they were actually going _there_. Max made a small gulp and then nodded to the general. He'd known something like this would come up eventually, but it still felt a little frightening.

"Should we be on our way to the capital, then," Hornet asked from the side.

"There's one more thing," the human said, looking at Max again, "I managed to pick up this for you at this place's tiny excuse for an armory." He then pulled something off from the backside of his belt. To Max, it just looked like a bunch of leather straps attached to each other with small metal pins.

"Thanks, but what is it," the hornet asked, looking at the strange thing, which was clearly too complex to be a simple belt, though it did look like something one would use in such a way.

"It's a basic sheath," Hornet piped in, "I did not know the Hivelings had any of those in the armory."

"Well, it is quite important for any fighter without a weapon as light as yours', princess," Juss replied.

"So it'll just hold my nail, right," Max inquired, "like on my waist?"

"No," his friend spoke, "on your back, like the hyu-man's. It'll be less cumbersome with some practice."

"Oh, great," the hornet flatly replied, "more practice. Can you just help me get it on so we can go?"

"Of course," the warrior replied, taking the leather equipment from the general's hands. "Simply hold still for a moment. I don't think either of us want this falling off outside." She then crouched down and placed the widest bands around his lower midsection, while Max pulled on the smaller straps that went around his arms. A few moments later, the leather contraption was secure. Hornet stood up, still close, to look at their handiwork.

"This'll do nicely," she said, "it's a good sheath."

"Yeah, thanks, Hornet," Max spoke with a smile, to which she responded with her own. A moment, it disappeared.

"Ugh, we're stalling. Just get your nail in it so we can be on our way."

The young bug nodded, before lifting his nail up and behind him. It took a few pokes getting the weapon between the straps properly, partly due to its' weight. Max realized he'd just have to train it to be an impulse thing, as would be getting it out. Still, he managed to fit it snugly between the leather bands, before looking at his friend, who took it as a que to begin climbing up the steep ledge, needle in one hand. He followed, actually managing to keep up with the wild princess, as all of his limbs were now free.

Soon, they had reached the top, climbing up onto the hallway that lead out of the Hive. The two started walking side-by-side, though at a fairly fast pace, as both were still pretty excited, Hornet's step almost seeming to have a skip to it.

"I cannot wait to show you the caves' shortcuts," she enthusiastically told Max, "we shall be able to get from one side of Hallownest to the other without anyone noticing a difference."

"That sounds fun," the hornet replied, also anticipating their first trip outside.

"They are," his friend said, as the wax ground turned to stone, "and they're practical as well."

"Nice, you know any good ones around the city," Max asked, "the general said that there's going to be guards walking around." By that point, they were nearing the end of the stone tunnel.

"Most stone caves can be found above the city," his friend explained, "but it has a large system of waterways beneath the streets that have good exits to many points within. Those'll be useful if we manage to reach them."

"Waterways," the hornet asked, "you mean like sewers? Are they going to be scenty?"

"No, there is little scent unless we go through the junk-pit. Why?"

"Nothing," Max quickly said, "nevermind."

* * *

He became quiet and looked forward, only to see that they'd reached the large cavern outside the Hive. Gasping quietly, he glanced around at the stone walls. While he remembered that this was where Hornet had brought him into the Hive from, his memories from that day were still all over the place. As his eyes moved, scanning the large rocks (darkness didn't even feel like a thing anymore), his predatory instinct kicked in a bit, as he started making out hiding spots for himself or prey, among other things. All around them, Max heard various noises of small creatures from within the walls.

The wind blowing around in the cave was also nice. While there was air circulation in the Hive, it was still much warmer than this. _This_ felt refreshing enough to keep him alert at all times, which would be crucial for hunts.

"It feels good, doesn't it," Hornet asked.

"Yeah," Max replied, "the Hive's nice, but everything is just so _perfect_ and _orderly_ in there."

"I agree," his friend said with a chuckle, "but we should get on with our task."

"Yeah, let's get to that city," the hornet said, smiling, "you lead the way."

In response, the warrior took off in front of him, to which he ran after her, keeping his footsteps light to not cause too much noise. They made their way down the cave, hopping over multiple pits, which had strangely metallic-looking spikes at the bottom and blocked the road at a few points. A short distance after they'd rushed past them, Hornet came to a halt, quickly mirrored by Max.

"What is it," he asked.

"We are getting close to the tram platform," his friend replied, "there could be guards there. We shall need to be careful from here." She lowered her stance, with the hornet doing the same.

"Follow me and observe how I advance," the warrior spoke with a loud whisper. Max nodded, which prompted her to start sneaking forwards. Quickly and quietly, they made their way through the rest of the cave, keeping to the side of the path in case there were sentries present.

Soon, they entered another cave, before immediately taking cover behind a larger rock, the hornet shadowing almost everything his experienced friend did. Peeking out from behind it, he saw a fairly long metal platform extend over a drop off in the cavern. Looking closer, he could clearly make out the spiky aesthetic of the small barrier, which was the same he remembered seeing in the Pale King's palace. To his mild surprise, there wasn't anyone on it.

"That platform," Max asked her friend, who was looking from behind the other side of the rock, "what's that for?"

"Oh, that's a tram platform," she answered, "a fully unguarded one."

The hornet pulled himself fully back into cover. "Wait," he continued, "you bugs have trams here?"

"Yes, and I'm assuming hyu-mans do as well," Hornet asked, turning to look at him.  
Max nodded. "We do," he said, "They go around big cities."

"Oh. Well," she then continued, "the only ones that I know of have been built by Hallownest. Their nobles and other important bugs used to use them to travel around parts of the city and some other places. Even I've never rode one."

"Well you should've. You're, like, more than a noble," Max replied.

"Oh really? What am I then," Hornet asked, her expression irate, making the male regret what he'd just said.

"Well, uh, you're- You're my best friend for starters," he stammered, causing his companion to look completely taken aback, her eyes widening.

"Is that true," she asked, to which Max nodded.

"Yeah, you're very important to me," the hornet said, . The next moment, she jabbed him in the shoulder, though very weakly,

"I know what you meant to say, Max, and I didn't like it," she said, her tone a mix of true irritation, but also mock offence. "Though I'm thankful for the compliment," she continued, actually smiling for a moment, before shifting back to her usual serious expression. "But it's distracting us. We need to focus." She moved herself to look at the

"Well sorry," Max replied, also looking ahead of the rock, "was just trying to develop the conversation."

"We can converse all you want back at the Hive, Max," Hornet whispered loudly, "However right now, we're going to move. The cave is clear." She took off from behind the stone, as did the young male, both still keeping low. Having reached the metal platform, instead of getting on, the warrior instead headed beside it, down the drop, which really wasn't that high and lead to a wide are of almost entirely flat ground, with only a few larger rocks jutting here and there.

They headed forward, nearing the expansive cave's far wall, which had clearly been constructed by bugs. However, as the two came closer two it, Max spotted that the wall had a large gap running down the middle of its' enormous engraving of their adversary, making him realize that it was instead a giant closed gate. The hornet was already beginning to wonder how they would be able to open the large thing, but immediately saw that there was a narrow tunnel at its' side, which he was following his friend towards.

* * *

As they neared the small passage, she glanced back at him. "Be cautious with this one. It's very badly constructed."  
Max simply nodded, before following her into the tunnel. As Hornet had said, it was indeed of lesser quality, with an uneven ground and rocky sections sticking out of the walls, very much like the one he'd had to stumble through in the dungeon. Back when he was still mostly human. Thankfully, his buggish upright feet were clearly adapted to prowling this kind of terrain, as he only sort-of stumbled a few times.

Still, the passage was still fairly long and also dark, with even Max's eyes affected from the lack of light, forcing him to still grasp the rocky sides for more stability at times. From what he could make out and hear, Hornet was also doing so in front of him. She had to carry her needle in hand, after all. Maybe he'd find or even craft a sheath for her as well someday.

Fortunately, the tunnel soon came to an end, evident by the large amount of pure white light in front of them. Before the two exited, however, Hornet came to a stop.

"We must truly be careful now," she said, "this station is right above the palace grounds. It'll definitely be guarded."

"Alright," the hornet responded, "you pick a good path past the platform. I'll try to follow as good as I can."

"Very well," the warrior whispered, looking ahead at the blindingly lit exit, "though it seems like something's off. There isn't usually this much light over there."

"We can still make our way past it," Max encouraged, to which his friend nodded, before stepping out of the rocky tunnel. As his vision became clearer, the hornet saw her dashing to another big rock in the wide and barren 'tramway'; he quickly followed her without even thinking about it.

"Okay, how're things on that platform," he quietly asked Hornet, who was already peeking past the side of their hiding spot. Suddenly he could see her eyes widen, as she shot back into full cover, looking at him as if she'd seen a ghost.

"How- That was- No-," she stuttered, alarming Max that something was seriously wrong. "Max," she then whispered to him, seriousness mixed with fright in her eyes, "do not make another sound. We are in a grave situation."

His eyes going wide as well, Max slowly and carefully peeked out, not even sure what to expect. He saw a large metallic box beside the station, suspended from what he could make out was a giant singular rail on the cave ceiling. On the platform, however, he saw a large number of sentries, all wielding nails, bordering a group of six pale clad bugs who were carrying a large throne on their backs. The enormously heavy-looking litter was covered by pure white curtains, which let enough light through for shadows to be visible.

Max's breath hitched. Inside the servant-carried vehicle, he saw the unmistakable silhouette of the Pale King. And they were only a few hundred feet away from him.

* * *

**Cliffhangers, ain't they the best? Next chapter's going to finally be shorter, since I've got to catch up on schoolwork.**

**Anyway, I hoped you liked and will join next time, as Max and Hornet's little trip continues. R&R**


	19. Chapter 17: Unseen, Mostly

Chapter 17: Unseen, Mostly

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

Hornet's mind was working at the speed of a flying squit. This was not at all what she had anticipated Max and her to run into and it truly frightened her. This path would have suited well for her friend's first real experience with hunterhood, as the eastern waterways contained a bit too much, even for her. Aside from possible guards at the platform, she hadn't expected any sentries or other obstacles on the lower route, save for a few wider jumps. However, she had just witnessed not only the Pale King, but a whole royal escort party, standing at the tram stop.

Damn all the gods, she should have just lead Max through the harsher path. It'd have been good for both of them.

It was weird to think that only a short time before, the warrior had felt amazing. She'd been allowed outside again and, despite her already childish celebration back at the Hive, she couldn't help but put some more energy into her steps. Max had been happy as well, getting to feel the caves' refreshing wind and wildly looking around. They were ready to return the tinderbox to that noble's house and he would learn her techniques of staying unnoticed, even if through shadowing her every move. Hornet hadn't minded.

Still their conversation and the hornet's small slip-up at the platform near the Hive had left her a little sour. The fact that the hyu-man still did it was annoying and to have her friend, whom she felt _more_ towards herself, do it wasn't the nicest feeling. She'd cautioned him to focus more on their surroundings, as the exchange had been getting too long anyway, and they'd kept moving through the empty cave.

Then, with her in the lead again, the two had crawled through the horribly dug side-tunnel of the tramway, eventually reaching the other large cave that housed the royal palace's station. Something had already felt wrong with the amount of light that'd shone from the passage exit ahead, but Hornet had momentarily dismissed it to dash to the closest large rock on the flattened cavern floor.

She'd peeked at the tram stop, which the vehicle was stationed at, and had then seen the entire gathering. Though _he_ had only been visible as a silhouette through the giant litter's curtains, his simple proximity had startled Hornet, making her pull her head back and look at Max, who'd already managed to follow her, his eyes widening at her alarmed expression. For a mere moment, she'd actually done nothing but stuttered frightened nonsense, before getting a hold of herself and warning her friend to keep as quiet as he could.

She was there, in cover, as the hornet carefully peeked to look for the threat himself. While he was looking, the warrior was squeezing herself against their rock, trying to think of what to do next, but also about another thing: why was she so frightened? Why did the nearby threat frighten her at all? It was a potentially very dangerous situation, so she had every right to be on edge at this moment, as it made her more alert. But she was also supposed to be a fearless warrior of Deepnest. One that was going to battle against that damned false god the following day no less.

Hornet started taking deep breaths. She _had_ to get it together. She wasn't even scared of him, not at all.

"Hornet, what do we do," Max suddenly whispered, just as her thoughts ended.

"I do not know, Max, but we cannot be discovered," the warrior replied, getting a short nod from her friend, who then positioned himself to peek again.

"Are they boarding the tram, or leaving it," she asked him, preparing to look as well.

"Not sure. They aren't moving," the hornet whispered back, "I think the king is talking." Striving to make something out, Hornet too started to hear the far-away voice of the Pale King. She couldn't understand a word though, as it was muffled by the litter's curtains.

"Wait," Max then quietly alerted her, "I think they're getting on. That giant throne's pointed at the tram."

Hornet nodded while looking herself. This was either a good or bad thing, based on what direction the metal vehicle would start moving in, as if it passed over them, discovery would be unavoidable, courtesy of the higher being's _otherworldly_ senses. At that moment, she really hoped that whatever the Pale King had forfeited the safety of that unbearably bright palace would be in Deepnest.

Then, while Max retreated fully into cover again, she saw the very faint shuffling of the curtains covering the carried throne, as the sharp-horned silhouette began moving inside, the servants placing the litter off their backs. Having seen this, she quickly (but quietly) shot after her friend.

"They have started moving. We're going to wait for a bit, but be at the ready," she spoke.

"Got it," the hornet replied, stress visible in his eyes, "They're not gonna pass over us, are they?"

"I really hope not," the warrior said, though the concern in her tone was obvious.

From the platform, they then heard a multitude of heavy footsteps, which were definitely the escorting sentries getting onto the tram after the king and his servants, followed by the distinct metallic slide of the vehicle's door and the small *ding* of its' bell. A moment after, there was a loud rumble, signaling that the large machine was finally moving.

"Oh, dear queen, it's moving," Max whispered from beside her, "Hornet, is it coming for us?"

She glanced at him. "Be ready to move," she limitedly responded, more worry in her voice than she would've liked.

Then, prepared to bolt from her spot, Hornet looked beyond the cover again, before breathing a sigh of relief, seeing the metal contraption had thankfully started moving away from them, towards Deepnest. As it neared the far side of the cave, the giant set of gates opening for it, she turned her eyes towards the platform, which unbelievably was now vacant, devoid of any guards.

"Okay, it's definitely getting farther. We're good, right," her friend asked, to which she quickly looked at him and nodded, before shooting off towards the stop, motioning for him to follow. This opportunity could have been over at any moment. The warrior's heart beat immeasurably fast, as she jumped onto the platform, hearing her friend follow.

"Okay, where're we goi-"

Hornet didn't even finish listening to her friend, looking at the fairly large circular hole in the ceiling, which was where their route lead next. Anticipating that a sentry guard would invite themselves to the cave at any moment, she wasted no time and began scaling the wall. In part, basic climbing was an instinct that most bugs possessed as a cave-bound kind, but her years had made the Halfling a complete master in doing it.

She quickly covered a sizeable height of the rocky wall, before jumping to hang under the opening in the ceiling and pulling herself through it. Having reached the upper cave, which also lead upward, Hornet allowed herself a few moments of rest, basically onto her back as she breathed heavily. However, the warrior forcefully cut them short, standing back up and looking back down at Max, who was taking a much longer time climbing up, obviously lacking experience.

"I do not wish to make you overly hurried, but please try to hasten your pace a little bit," she called to him.

"Hey, you've done this for years," the hornet replied, sounding annoyed and struggling to reach the underside of the passage, "this isn't as easy as climbing a tree, you know." A moment after, he reached the ceiling, which he latched onto.

"You mustn't climb that part," Hornet tried advising, "simply jump here and be done with it." She sent a worried glance at the cave floor beneath them.

"I don't wanna fall now," Max spoke, "I'll just cover it normally." He pulled himself closer to the opening. Hornet sighed, annoyed, sending another cautionary look below. Suddenly, she saw movement; someone was climbing onto the platform from the Basin.

"Max, you are jumping," she said in a loud whisper, looking back at him, "now!"

Fortunately, the stubborn hornet was able to understand the threat from her glance. He took a deep breath, before swinging his body and jumping at the upwards passage. It took a fraction of a second for Hornet to see that the direction her friend flung himself in was too straight. Not acting on any thought, but momentary impulse, she quickly reached down. Time seemed to have slowed, as she grabbed onto Max's arm, her grip then being met with his. Working in tandem, they then hastily pulled him up the rocky hole.

* * *

The haste at which Max came into the upper cave knocked Hornet on her back again. She quickly got up, still breathing heavily. Her friend had managed to stay on his feet, though he seemed as out of breath as she was. Despite this, he was intently looking around their new surroundings, his head not staying still for a moment.

"Save your focus," the warrior spoke, "there's no one in this passage."

"Still won't hurt," the hornet said, before looking at her and sighing heavily.  
"Wow. All of that could have ended really badly."

"Indeed, it could've," the female replied, smirking encouragingly, "But we persisted, _you _persisted."

"Uh-huh, with _your_ help," Max murmured.

"Indeed," Hornet agreed, though she admired the compliment, "but you'll hopefully improve in climbing."

"Hey, it was really intense down there," the hornet responded, "you were as scared as I was."

The warrior's eyes widened; he'd really understood _that_ much. "Yes," she said, seeing no purpose in denying it, "But for good reason. Didn't you see who sat behind those covers?"

"Okay, okay, I understand," her friend said, "I was kind of frightened too. What the _doma_ was he even doing outside his fancy castle?"

Ignoring the question's vulgarity (at least he didn't use it too often), Hornet said: "We've no way of knowing, but it must be something of importance. The hyu-man's going to want to know of it."

"Yeah, that's probably true," Max agreed, nodding, "Unless he somehow already knows." He chuckled at the small remark, to which Hornet did the same. There was indeed something weird about the hyu-man. Her friend had previously affirmed that his once kindmates didn't have magic, save for rumors about some powerful warriors, but the way the General had snuck beside them earlier had just felt unnerving.

A few moments later, their chuckles died down, being followed by silence. Max looked at Hornet and she just glanced back at him, feeling as if she was going to blush again, which would've been for the first time that day, with the busy training schedule and all.

"This is getting a bit awkward, I think," the hornet then said, snapping the warrior out of the momentary dreamy daze.

"Indeed, we should get moving and actually make progress with our assignment," she replied.

"Yeah, we should," the male spoke, suddenly smirking, "we weren't supposed to converse out here, after all."

His attempt at irony not impressing her, Hornet shot him an annoyed look, reconsidering if she was letting him have it easy. He needed a lesson, maybe even two.

"Very well," she then said in a cold tone, "thank you for reminding of it, _Maxwell_. We'll proceed more objectively now. Go ahead and lead the way." Oh dear, how strange saying her friend's full first name felt.

Still, she kept it up, pointing at the cave wall that surrounded them and lead further up.

The hornet brought his hands up and, as she'd expected, sounded a bit concerned, saying: "Woah, hey, Hornet, no need to go that far. I, uh, you don't really like comments like that and I forgot. I'm sorry. Just take it easy."

Part of her even enjoying her friend's desperate apology, the warrior kept it up. "I don't see any way how that would benefit us right now and you yourself pointed out our overly personal approach. Now, for your own practice, you shall lead me until we get to the city and we shall work practically," she continued in the grave tone, before letting a noticeable bit of warmth back into her voice, "and perhaps you'll impress me enough that I shall let another slip-up like this happen."

This washed the uneasiness away from Max's face and replaced it with visible resolve.

"Okay then," he said, his voice gaining a tougher edge, "let's move." He jumped onto the upwards leading wall and began climbing, Hornet close behind.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

Well this was definitely not the nicest way things could have gone, but it was for a fairly good reason. That last comment had felt a bit too sharp, especially considering Hornet didn't seem to get sarcasm that much. It was pretty clear that she hadn't taken it too well and was irked at him, making him take the lead in the caves for some unknown distance; until they made it to Hallownest's capital that they still had yet to reach.

At least she'd also dropped the façade for a moment, promising another 'slip-up' if he actually started to pull his weight. Though small, that hint of letting him make it up to her gave plenty of encouragement to Max, as he latched on to the wall leading further up and began climbing. He _was _capable and would show it. Impressing her was going to feel good.

Having covered the fairly short climb, the serious-acting Hornet following close behind, the male pulled himself onto the upper ledge, where the path finally seemed to become horizontal again. The two started making their way down the polished stone road, which was bordered with a metal fence bearing the kingdom's common sharp-ended design. It was very similar to what little the hornet remembered of the caves around the White Palace, especially the lamppost he saw ahead that bore the king's likeness.

As he looked around, Max also listened, though less due to caution. While the cave was eerily quiet, he also wanted to set a good example for Hornet to see. Still, despite a strange one he could feel up ahead, there was a lack of any threatening scents. Right after the lamppost, they came upon a bigger gap in the road, though one they could both easily jump. The hornet looked back at his friend, who responded with an expecting glance of her own, obviously standing by her point of him leading for the time being.

Before jumping the gap, Max decided to take a small look at the bottom and immediately recoiled, as he saw some sort of spiky, writhing mass that was definitely alive by the way it moved.

"What is the matter," the warrior asked from behind him, her tone serious, "those worms are of no threat unless one gets too close."

"Everything is fine. I just hadn't seen these before," he replied, also managing an objective tone. He then leaped to the other side, before looking at the warrior, who was beside him the next moment. They both just nodded each other and kept walking towards the seemingly much larger cave ahead.

Though, as they neared the passage, Max began hearing an unending row of weird chitters and shuffling that seemed to get stronger. Well enough, they then entered the next cave, which, as he'd predicted, was indeed pretty large. However, he then noticed that the road in front of them was missing. Looking forward, it was obvious that there'd at one point been a bridge, which had evidently collapsed, with only the support pillars and a small part at the far end still standing.

Max took a glance down the broken ledge they were standing on, looking at the bottoms of the pillars and ready to tell Hornet to follow him down there, as going the long way would've been safer and more 'practical'. However, his eyes suddenly widened, as he understood where the now quite loud chittering was coming from. Every square inch around the large stone columns was _crawling_ with the spiked writhing worms he'd only seen a few of at the earlier gap.

Change of plans. They were definitely jumping across the pillars.

"I assume you already know what we're doing now," he said to Hornet, who gave a small nod.

"Yes, jumping across is the most viable option," she replied, taking a short look down herself, "I'd understand if you wanted me to go first here."

"No, It is fine," the hornet denied, still determined, "I'll go first." He took a few steps away from the ledge, before quickly running at it and jumping through the air. He landed on the first pillar, using an arm to soften the impact and balance himself. The novice warrior then looked back at his friend, saying: "Alright, Hornet, your turn."

"You do not need to alert me," the halfling replied. She leaped and touched down beside him, which was quite close, since the stone pillars weren't that wide. Despite kind of enjoying the proximity, Max readied himself, as right now, they had ground to cover. He motioned to Hornet and dashed forwards at a fairly good angle. However, the next column was much taller, letting him only reach its' side and forcing him to latch on and climb up to the top.

A moment later, his companion had followed him again, having been strong and light enough to jump the larger height.

"We don't need to do this so carefully, Max," she tried advising him, "you may go ahead to the end. You know I will be perfectly able to follow you and it shall save us time." Unfortunately, the hornet didn't agree.

"No, we're passing together. It's safer this way," he replied. "Besides, we aren't that short on time." Despite understanding where Hornet, as a half-spider, came from, Max also knew that when out, it was always best to stay with the swarm or even a smaller pack like they were right now.

"Very well," the warrior just stated, giving him a bit more space, as he set himself into position for the next jump, which was longer than the previous two, being fairly in the center of what had once been a bridge. Max used all the might in his legs to push him forwards and up and, like with the last one, managed to land on the pillar's side. Just as he was about to climb onto the broken top again, he suddenly heard a loud crack of stone.

"No," his friend let out an anguished yell, making him quickly turn around, only for his eyes to widen as he saw her tumbling through the air, a massive chunk from the pillar behind her falling towards the dangerous cave floor.

"Holy do- Hang on, Hornet," he called back, before sliding himself down the stone to her level, as she was coming in at a _very_ bad angle.

Max got low enough for a few of the horrid creatures beneath to already start snapping at him, as Hornet flew beside him. Hanging onto the stone with only one arm, he reached out to her, managing to grab onto hers as she did the same. She managed to also latch onto the pillar, as the two wasted no time in climbing back to the top. Climbing on, the hornet looked at his friend, whose eyes were wide with shock and frustration.

"Damn it all, how could I have jumped so badly," she angrily exclaimed, all traces of her 'serious' attitude gone at frightening speed, "Max, you saw it. What did I do wrong?"

"Hornet, calm down" the novice replied, still holding onto her for stability and trying to sound as firm and reassuring as he could. "You didn't do anything wrong. Didn't you hear that stupid pillar collapse?" He pointed back at the broken column behind them. Hornet looked at it, her eyes widening

"Still, I should've- You just- Thank you for saving me," the warrior stuttered to him, a bit calmer, "you were right about sticking close." Then, she looked as if she realized something, before finally brushing the hornet's hand off her.

"Oh drat, we were still supposed to act serious." She looked at Max with a sorry expression, to which he was unable to contain a small blush. Hoping it wasn't too noticeable, he looked forward at the passage, which they were heading towards.

"Who's saying we still can't," he offered, making an effort to keep his voice firm. "It helped to keep us focused, didn't it?"

"Yes, that is true, but it quickly outstayed its' welcome" Hornet replied. "Besides, you deserve _something_ for saving me."

"Huh, already," Max asked with surprise, getting a nod from her, which added fire to his blush. Not even caring about it, he turned to thank her, but the limited room on the pillar suddenly made itself present, as he stepped around to avoid her needle and suddenly almost lost his balance, which he announced with a loud gasp, thankfully stabilizing himself in time.

"_Okay_, I think we've spent too much time on this spot anyway," he quickly said with an uneasy smile, "so let's get going."

"You're right, we should," his friend agreed, before sternly adding: "But you're still in the lead. I want you to actually learn some things out here." She leaned sideways, giving him enough space to jump the next gap. He pushed down and flew over, actually landing on the pillar's top this time. After a quick follow from the warrior, they wasted no time in getting to the next one and finally the other side.

Having finally reached the other ledge of the cave, Max started heading towards the passage, which was, strangely enough, surrounded by very crude-looking wooden supports. A moment later, Hornet touched down as well and walked after him. Right in front of the entrance, he stopped, detecting a fain scent coming from the darker cave ahead. Going by his instincts, the hornet adopted a more careful stance. Hopefully, that meant they were close to this city.

* * *

The short passage lead to another larger space, this one a bit darker than the cave outside. From the smooth polished ground and the surrounding walls once again having a lot of carvings, the hornet realized that Hallownest's capital was indeed close. Scanning the new cavern, he then saw a massive collapsed _structure_ right in the middle of it. He didn't even know what to call it, though it looked a lot like an extremely fancy gazebo, with what was left of its' metal windows bearing intricate designs (of course depicting the Pale King) and, weirdly enough, having a big metal ring attached to the tip of the roof.

The hornet walked closer to it, taking in the rest of the more 'civilized' cavern. There wasn't much more on the floor, save for a few lampposts, but the walls were a different story, as the shoddy-looking wooden struts from outside continued here, partly covering them. Trailing the planks upwards, Max started noticing just how high the ceiling seemed to be.

Confused, he looked directly up and saw that yes, the cave was _very_ tall, almost unnaturally so. The artificiality made itself seen with the all-around patterned nature of the 'shaft's' polished sides, though parts of it were obstructed by the bundles and blotches of tied-together wooden scaffolding, which seemed to go up all the way and even formed platforms at a few spots

He then looked at Hornet, asking: "I'm guessing we're going up that way?" He pointed a finger at the wide upward tunnel above while bringing his voice down to lessen the echo.

"Well, I for one don't see a lot of other paths," his friend deadpanned in response, giving the slightest shrug and also lowering her voice.

"Oh, yeah, you're right," Max sheepishly said, looking around again. Despite its' size, the tunnel-cave didn't have any other exits, save for the one they entered through. "What's this for anyway? It's so big," he spoke, looking up again.

"I do not know if hyu-mans know of such a thing," his companion replied, "but this is one of Hallownest's liftways. The collapsed thing is right here." She pointed at the collapsed gazebo-thing behind him.

"Huh, so that's a lift," the hornet asked, looking at it with a mental eyebrow raised, "and it's broken. Just our luck."

"Bah, you would _not_ like riding one of those mechanical things," Hornet said, rolling her eyes," They rattle excessively and make even worse noise. It would completely ruin our approach." She waved her hands at it. "And simply take a glance at it. Machines this large are unnatural."

Wow. If she already didn't like the size of the lift, Max wondered how his friend would eventually react to motor-carriages or maybe even the bigger things.

Wait, what were those called again? Something with a T? Max was suddenly alarmed; why couldn't he remember it? He searched his memory of human words, trying to remember what the big rolly _things_ were.

Trucks! Yes! They were called trucks. And _motor-carriages _ were cars. Gah, the English words seemed to sound weirder to him each day, even in his head. Still, bugs hadn't invented them yet (like they would ever need to) and he was a bug, so it was hopefully okay to not remember so well.

"Max!" He was snapped out of his moment of relief by Hornet calling his name and waving a hand in front of his face.

"Yeah, what is it," the hornet asked, looking at her.

"You are bothered by something," she said, looking concerned, "what is it?"

"Oh, it's nothing, don't worry," the male replied, trying to move on as quick as possible, "I'm fine."

"Do not try that with me," the warrior spoke with a fair bit of anger in her voice, "You fell silent and had that disturbed look. I could clearly tell something was wrong." Her tone became softer. "Please, simply tell me what it is, Max. We cannot really be delayed right now."

"We won't. I told you it's not important, just something that came up on my mind," the hornet stated, looking at her desperately. "Let's move on."

Hornet harrumphed with annoyance, though her look betrayed saddened confusion. "I do not at all like secrecy like this, Max, especially from you. I trust you too much for that."

For a moment, Max felt happy from her comment. She'd really meant that. "Look, I'm sorry if that seemed bad to you, Hornet, but that _really_ was nothing. Just an unpleasant thought."

"Well, it still looked like _something_ to me and you're going to tell me about it when we get back to safety," the halfling sternly replied, "provided we get this exercise done. Please, lead the way." She nudged her head at a section of the boarded-up stone wall.

"Understood," the hornet affirmed, starting to head towards it, "I'm guessing we won't talk that much up there."

Hornet gave a solemn nod. "Indeed. It'd be suicide in the city. We really need to be on our best behavior from here on out."

Max nodded in return, before he grabbed onto a wooden board and started to climb up. The broken lift shaft had plenty of spots to grab and step on, so going up was relatively easy at first. Even the wood scaffolding, despite looking (and sounding) like it'd all collapse if a hatchling poked a section, it was thankfully stable enough to support both Hornet and him. Still, the erratic placement of the planks puzzled him bit. How exactly the bugs of Hallownest had expected this to be effective?

To be honest, he didn't care much. He was just glad it helped them climb.

For at least a few minutes, Max did nothing but focus on making his way up, his head craned to look above. Aside from the distant howling of the wind below them and the creaking of boards, as the two grabbed onto the next ones, there was complete silence. Hornet was keeping up fairly close behind him, which made him wonder how much training the warrior had done to climb so well while wasting an entire arm to hold her weapon.

At one moment, however, as he placed his hand forward again, the hornet saw that above him wasn't another climbable piece of wood, but multiple sharp tips shining back at him. Pulling his limb back at the last moment, Max exclaimed: "Whoa!" He quickly looked around and made out multiple batches of hazardous looking spikes jutting out of the scaffolding in different spots.

"What is it," his friend asked from below, sounding alarmed.

"There's some sort of sharp thingies sticking out of the wood," the novice whispered back.

"Oh, we've already reached them," Hornet spoke, her tone mildly surprised. "That's good for us. Though you'll need to be a bit more cautious from now."

"That's- This is not cool," Max said, not caring that the term sounded strange in Buggish.

"Hmm, I wouldn't agree," the warrior replied. "Whoever placed them must've been rather cold hearted. They're obviously meant to harm, although the placement isn't the most effective."

"Fine," the hornet grunted, "but can we just keep going. I'll avoid the death-spikes."

He took the small shuffle of her cloak as a nod, before starting to move again, avoiding the annoying sharp tips. From then on, their climb lost a bit of its' momentum, as he lead the safe path. Though the spikes were indeed put down in a pattern that was avoidable, it was still annoying at times, since they blocked some straight routes, forcing detours.

* * *

Fortunately, despite the tediousness, the shaft's ceiling had started to get closer. Soon enough, Max caught sight of a stone ledge above them. He looked down at Hornet and motioned at it, to which she nodded again. Not too long after, though it did require some pretty careful maneuvering, he pulled himself to the firm rocky platform, relieved at having more stable ground beneath his feet. He turned around and saw a passage leading into some other tunnel, which was illuminated by a strange green light and seemed to be filled with _something_ brown. Suddenly, he caught wind of an _interesting_ scent coming from the lit-up cave.

Oh, who was he kidding? The smell was horrible.

At that moment, Hornet climbed up beside him, before rustling herself and looking at Max, who did the same.

"What in the world is down that tunnel? You said there wasn't much scent in the sewers," he spoke, his eyes beginning to water. He wasn't the only one, as a few small tears made their way out of his friend's eyes as well.

"I'm sorry," the warrior replied with an embarrassed look. "I forgot to tell you about this passage. It is the home of a recluse knight who once served Hallownest. They are a dung beetle."

"Oh." Max felt himself recoil away from the passage, having realized what the smell. "So that is literally the scent of do-"

"Yes," Hornet cut him off, making it further clear to him that she didn't like swearing, "it is. Can we move on? We are close to the street exit."

"Yeah. I agree," Max said, looking away from the sewer entrance and back up, where he could indeed see another doorway, through which shined a much more natural blueish light, along with what sounded like rainfall. Wasting no time to get out of the obnoxious smell, he jumped up to get a head start with the climbing. A few moments after, he noticed that Hornet wasn't behind him. Looking back, the hornet saw that instead of following him, she had instead jumped onto a long thick metal chain, which lead all the way to the ceiling. And she was gaining on him pretty fast, even with only one free hand.

Amazed by her speed once again (and kind of angry that he didn't think of doing it himself), Max continued the last stretch of the climb as well. At that point, the wooden scaffolding had ended, so it wasn't _as_ easy, but that also meant there weren't any more spikes, so he too managed to cover the distance without losing a lot of time by having to sidetrack.

Finally, he leaped onto the ledge with the 'street-passage', meeting Hornet who'd lowered herself into a more stealthy position and taken cover at the doorway's side. He did the same, before peeking out to get his first good look of the capital city. The first thing he noticed, not even paying mind to the surroundings for a moment, was the indeed heavy downpour, which he'd already heard below. Before, he hadn't understood why Hornet had called it 'The City of Tears' the few times she'd mentioned it, but this was already enough as an explanation.

Now he wanted to ask how the rainfall was even possible, though he didn't, as it wasn't the best time.

The street itself was paved with cobblestone, running alongside a pretty tall building and illuminated by the white light of the usual metal lampposts standing at the edges of the road. The structure itself had multiple large windows and its' sides were designed in a very gothic manner. It looked nice, if a bit overly fancy.

"Let's get moving," Hornet whispered to him. "We've no time to lose." Max nodded and started to get up from his position, before being stopped by his friend.

"No, I'll go first. You only had to bring us to the city and you did that." She then left her cover and motioned for him to follow her into the open.

Max did so, climbing out of the tunnel and onto the rainy street. The falling water seemed like much less of a nuisance now, considering his hard shell and the fact that he didn't need or want to wear clothes. Looking around, he saw that even the building from which they came was pretty high. He could now also see the wide canal running in the middle of the street, which effectively cut it in half and seemed to branch off into more up ahead. Made sense, since there seemed to be _a lot_ of water going around. He didn't stay to stare around for long though, as a few moments later, he followed his friend to a narrow shadowy spot out of the lamps' light.

"This place is beautiful," he whispered when they had both taken cover again, the female peeking ahead to scout a route.

"Yes, almost unbearably so," she commented back, surprising Max. She seemed to notice it from the side and looked at him. "I'm sorry if that sounded rude. Some of the things Deepnest instilled in me are very strict towards vanity. I cannot help this sometimes."

"It's okay," the hornet replied. "All this's a bit excessive for me as well." The statement got a small smirk out of the warrior, before she rose from cover, prompting Max to do the same.

They both ran out, keeping as quiet as they could and staying at the buildings' side of the cobblestone road. Ahead of them, the street opened up into a larger square, cut into sections by the canals and lined by high buildings, which almost looked like skyscrapers. Actually, all of the tall stone buildings they made their way past made Max feel uncomfortably small, which was weird, considering he'd grown up in a city that was probably even larger than this.

He took it as just another example of how his mind had been rewritten.

Just before reaching the wider square, which also had multiple watery canals running through and around it, the two got into cover again. It was a smart move, as before Hornet had even pointed at them, he noticed a total of five guards standing on the narrow bridges that crossed the waterways. Though thankfully, it seemed that the lateness of the day had taken its' toll on them, as three were asleep against the metal railing, their nails beside them.

Still, that left two that they still had to sneak past.

"Max, how do you suppose we will get past those sentries," Hornet asked with a whisper, though her tone made it clear that it was rhetorical.

"I- I don't know," the warrior-in-training replied, looking around the square for any good places to get behind. His eyes then travelled a bit lower, eyeing the canals filled with flowing water. With how much noise the rain created on the stones, the sentrybugs would hopefully not hear if they went through them.

"Can you swim," he asked, looking back at Hornet.

"Indeed. And I was going to point the same route to you," she smiled quietly. "I don't think we'd be able to go across rooftops yet. Although, this'll be a bit slower."

The hornet nodded and their plan was decided. The two bugs snuck over to the street's side canal, before warily sliding themselves into the uncomfortably cold water, which was much frostier than the cool, refreshing air of the caves. Its' depth also surprised Max, as his feet barely managed to touch the bottom.

He let Hornet pull herself in front of him, as she whispered: "If my memory serves me correctly, we should be able to get all the way to the nobles' houses through here."

* * *

They started to quietly swim through the chilly water, which even made Max shiver slightly. As they made their way to the intersection of canals in the middle of the square, he reevaluated what Hornet had just mentioned about the other path they could've taken. Climbing on those large buildings, really? Now, the young male wasn't exactly afraid of heights. Going up larger caves or even mountains on the surface was perfectly fine for him, even being in taller buildings when he'd still been human. But there was just an extra air of danger about jumping across the roofs of tall buildings. It was like those crazy white-hooded people he'd seen photos and videos of on the internet.

However, the swim, despite being uncomfortably cold, seemed to be paying off, as the hornet followed his friend through the half-submerged canal in silence. They had already gone under two small bridges that lead across and now came to a fork in the bug-made river. Hornet took a short glance back at him, before paddling to the path on the right. Though their shells were tougher and able to resist the icy temperature better, Max had quickly noticed that the firm and sleek nature of their limbs made swimming require a bit more force than what he'd once been used to.

The canal that they went down seemed to run alongside another street, as it became entirely straight, with more buildings, now seeming even taller, visible above. To make possible detection just a tad bit less likely, the two now also kept to one side of the narrow passageway. Still, despite not wishing to admit it, even to himself, Max started to wish more and more that they would either reach this fancy apartment already or simply get out. If not for the temperature, then for the growing dread that some other guard would decide to take a look into the canal.

Thankfully, just mere seconds after, Hornet brought herself to a halt, before turning around to look at him.

"We should be fairly close now," she whispered, seemingly unaffected by the unpleasant water.

"Good, that means we can get out, right," Max responded, already eager to, which got an unimpressed, yet understanding look out of the warrior.

"Yes," she deadpanned, "that's why we stopped." She grabbed onto the side of the canal and began pulling herself up, quickly followed by the hornet. Reaching the street once again, he got onto his feet and wasted no time in shaking himself, getting most of the water off himself and his sheathed nail. He then looked at his friend again, who responded with an amused glance, before doing the same thing herself, getting at least some of the clear liquid off her now-soaked cloak.

"Don't worry," she commented right after, "the water is not usually this cold outside the city, not even in the waterways."

"What're you talking about," Max asked, trying to feign surprise, though he knew it was useless, "I'm absolutely fine."

"Ugh, Max, you're being dishonest again," Hornet replied, her tone becoming more serious. "But that's not important at the moment." She ran to the side of the nearest high building, taking cover by its' wall. "We need to keep moving. We're so close"

After Max had followed her to the relatively covered spot, they both looked around the corner to see another wide street. The buildings lining this one were different than before, the overall rounded design reaching slightly higher and somehow looking even posher than the others. The hornet already felt that this was their destination.

"Those are the nobles' housings," Hornet said from beside him, confirming his hunch, "our goal."

"I see them," Max replied confidently. "Do you see the apartment the General talked about?"

"Not yet," his friend spoke, "no windows with ligh- Wait!" She pointed directly around the corner, where Max could see that the fancy buildings' door closest to them, along with the window right beside it, were lit up with a soft, pinkish light coming from inside. However, in front of the mightily designed entrance stood two sentries, nails in hand and, unfortunately, not asleep. The hornet quickly pulled his head back so as to not get spotted.

"Not good. The hyu-man didn't mention any guards," Hornet whispered, annoyed. "We'll have to find a different way inside."

"Got it," Max quietly agreed, carefully peeking back around to see if he could find a good way in from the street, which proved pretty fruitless, as aside from a few taller statues standing at the edge of the walkway, there wasn't even a place to hide behind, much less get close enough to get into the building. Gods be damned, if they had to get back into that frigid canal-

Max suddenly felt Hornet tap him on the shoulder, prompting him to retreat and look at her questioningly, asking: "What is it?"

"Look up here," the warrior asked back, sighing and pointing to the window they were crouching under. Curious about what she meant, Max stood a bit higher and looked through the glass. Inside, he saw a dark fancily decorated hallway, which had a few doorways covered by what looked like velvet curtains. Through one of the openings, he could see faint pinkish light shining through.

Realizing what his friend meant, Max looked back. "It's the same house."

Hornet looked unamused. "Of course. Isn't it obvious?"

"Yeah, I guess it is," the novice agreed. "Now let's get that wooden box back where it belongs." At that moment, something gravely serious reared its' head in his mind. "Hornet," he asked as loudly as the situation let him, his eyes widening at the sudden realization, "did we pick up the tinderbox?"

For a moment, his companion's expression stayed serious, before a small smirk crossed her face and her free hand travelled into the collar of her still-dripping red cloak, pulling out the wooden box, which had also gone a few shades darker.

"You needn't worry," she said, "I picked it up from the General while you were fumbling around with your sheath."

Max remembered and sighed with relief. "What would I do without you," he then asked with a whisper, looking at her white mask, which shone from the rainwater. They stared at each other for at least a few peaceful moments, before Hornet broke the silence: "I- I do not know, although you would likely be dead."

"Thanks for the encouragement," Max joked, earning a not-very-friendly look from Hornet, "but I think we should get this window open now."

"Agreed," the female stated, as both turned their attention to the locked opening above them.

Before Max could even try to go for his nail (with the obvious intent of cracking the window open), the more capable warrior had already brought her slimmer needle forth. As he sent a few glances around in case someone came near, the warrior fit the weapon into a small hole at the bottom of the panel's metal frame, before twisting it, which emitted a small crack. Then, she pulled of the metal bars, making the entire window hinge open.

"We're going inside now," she whispered, looking sternly at Max. "And remember, Max: absolute, dead silence."

"Yeah, yeah, I understand," the hornet replied, "You made it clear the first time."

"Well, it _is_ important," the warrior insisted. "And I am I've gotten the point across. Now, you first." She creaked the large window a bit wider, giving Max enough space to climb and slip through into the mostly unlit space inside.

* * *

He carefully dropped onto the carpeted floor of the small hallway, before bringing himself low to it, searching for a good spot to get out of view of the various curtained doorways leading into the room. He was quickly joined by Hornet, though not before she had reclosed the window. Looking around, he saw that even this tiny corridor was poshly furnished, with the walls being covered by red silken padding. Brushing it all off as something he shouldn't focus on, Max expectantly looked at his companion, who nodded and pointed at a 'door' beside them.

Leading them, the halfling warrior started sneaking in front of Max, who followed as quietly as her, worriedly glancing down at her cloak, from which a few small drops of water were still dripping off. Thankfully, the carpet on the floor mitigated any sound they could've caused, letting the two bugs remain completely noiseless.

Sneaking through the curtains, they came into a shorter room, which was much plainer. On the side of one of the stone walls was a big metal tap, being accompanied by a wide basin below. As they passed cautiously, Max also noticed a large wooden cabinet, the likes of which he remembered from the back room of the Hive's bathing chamber. The small bathroom additionally had two shelves on the wall, holding small glass bottles and boxes among other things.

As they headed for the other door, which was somewhat surprising for a restroom, muted, yet audible, footsteps suddenly sounded from the hallway behind them, causing Max to tense up even more than he already was and no doubt did the same to Hornet. Moving in a flash, the two pressed themselves against the wall, both breathing nervously and staring at the doorway that they'd come through. Moments after, however, the steps grew quiet again.

Only slightly relieved, the two hunters continued sneaking towards the next set of curtains, now aware that there was at least one other bug going around the apartment. Taking position next to Hornet, Max peeked through the set of drapes with her. On the other side, he saw a large kitchen, which was, once again, a bit more decorated than the toilet, with multiple very-old-fashioned stoves and counters standing by wall and a wide table in the middle of the room.

Max advanced first, a sense of pride starting to burn within him. This was where the General had ordered them to return the tinderbox. Their goal was reached.  
Max looked towards Hornet, the message in his eyes hopefully clear enough. The warrior stared back, before nodding with a smile and reaching into her cloak again, pulling out the, admittedly useless, Firestarter and placing it on the table. They happily looked at each other, their objective done. Now all they had to do was-

There was a sudden, quiet gasp at the room's other curtain-doors, which caused Max and his companion to snap their gazes at it.

Standing in the doorway was a short, stocky female-scented beetle wearing a simple apron, her eyes wide with shock. Moving on some _new_ instinct, Max's hand flashed behind his back and hastily pulled out his nail. Being closer to the servant, he dashed in front of her, holding the weapon close to her mask, with the other hand being at the throat.

"D- Do n- not make a single sound, understand," he whispered harshly, though he could hear the nervousness in his own voice.

"I- I- help?" The fear in the weak, yet strangely familiar voice was clear, as she made a few weak attempts to trash around, which Max could easily overpower, though he himself felt very much on the edge and not in a good way.

He tried to keep her steady, as the bug looked at the kitchen table where Hornet, who had also come close, needle readied, had put the tinderbox. Upon seeing it, the fear in her eyes doubled.

"Oh- Oh dear. You- you're going to burn mistress Emilitia and I, "she whispered in what was undoubtedly the voice of Mrs. Philips, as a few tears rolled down her eyes. "Please wh- why?"

Starting to grow upset at the elderly bug's peril, Max said: "Will you- _Please_ calm down," he hissed. "We're _not_ going to set you on fire, bu- but I'm going to." He paused, feeling as if he was unable to continue the dark statement.

"But _we're _going to do so to you, if you are unable to keep yourself quiet," Hornet said in her own intense and quiet tone.

"Y- You outsider savages," 'Mrs. Philips' hissed, clearly trying to feign anger. "You tribalbugs came through the tunnel, didn't you. To steal our food."

"Wait? Tunnel," the warrior murmured from the side, as Max, having regained a bit of his confidence, firmly grasped the aged bug's shoulder.

"Look," he whispered, "we didn't come here to hurt or steal. We brought the tinderbox back. Now, you're letting us leave."

"Indeed," Hornet piped up, leaning closer. "So _you're_ going to show that tunnel you just mentioned."

For a few moments, the changed female stayed silent, her face even showing a bit of defiance, to which the warrior swung her needle just a _tiny_ bit too close to her body. The look of fear was back immediately.

"O- Oh, very well," she whispered, scared. "Please keep your promise and do not hurt me."

With Max's nail at her back, she walked through the curtains, which lead into a large, impossibly fancy living room, with a large padded couch in front of a short table, along other sharply designed pieces of furniture. As he slowly made the maid move forward, the hornet glanced aside, seeing the front door, behind which the two sentries must've still stood, ready to defend from any threat, like Hornet and him.

The fearful maid quietly lead them to one of the room's walls that, instead of the red padding, had a curtain draped over it. She pulled it aside to reveal a wide crack, big enough for even her stocky beetle body to fit through.

"Here is the tunnel. I had to cover it with this," she whispered, looking back at the two warriors. "Please leave mistress Emilitia's home now. You are unwelcome."

"You did well," Hornet said, her tone still harsh, "but I better not hear you running to those guards when we've gone through."

"N- No, I won't," 'Mrs. Philips' stuttered, "I promise."

"Thank you for letting us go, Philips," Max whispered, before climbing up and into the cracked wall.

"Wait, how do you know my na-," he heard the changed human start, but got to the other side before she could finish. Looking around the _really_ tight rocky cave, which had a hole right in the middle of it. Then, he heard a muted, yet still audible *thump* from the living room, before seeing Hornet enter into the small passage herself.

"What happened," the hornet asked, suddenly very concerned.

"You needn't worry," Hornet replied, "she fainted." She then properly looked at him, her expression becoming a bit more caring. "You knew her as a hyu-man, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Max said, "I did. Can we go now?"

"Indeed," his companion spoke, staring down into the wide hole they were standing besides, sounding deep in thought. "This should lead to the eastern waterways," she murmured, before saying, frustrated: "How did I not know of this tunnel. It could've been so useful."

"Will it help us get back quick," Max asked hopefully, wishing that this _assignment_ just ended already.

"Yes. Yes it will," Hornet confidently replied.

"However, I hope you aren't afraid of acid."

* * *

**There we go. Some action and relationship development for our two main characters. Now it's only a little more, as they return home while the higher-ups finish planning for the big day. Things will be getting interesting soon.**

**I hoped you like this one. R&R**


	20. Chapter 18: Serious Developments

Chapter 18: Serious Developments

* * *

**JUSS**

* * *

_Sometime earlier_

After he'd observed the princess and Max leave the Hive for their assignment, Lembit had quickly made his way back to the chamber that the Hiveling tacticians and him used to plan the following day's attack, which he'd already been called to inspect earlier. Taking a stealthy shortcut, not caring if it left him winded, the General arrived in the circular room, taking off his mask and quickly walked up to the large wax table in the middle, nodding at the two striped bugs hovering at its' side.

"Greetings once more, human," one of the said, wearing a friendly, yet tired smile. It was their 'bedtime' soon, after all.

"Hello, Consilia," he replied, looking down at a particular set of papers on the table, which was almost entirely covered with maps and the like. "I see you've made some additional notes in my absence." While he'd been there some fifteen minutes ago, the two bees, along with a few others, had given him an overview of what they'd already done and the few additional factors that weren't yet accounted for.

"Indeed, this could be valuable," Juss muttered in his mother tongue, willing his charm not to translate, before looking back at the two Hivelings. "My allies, most of our work is done and I can see the effects of it."

"Yes, we managed pointed out quite a few less likely possibilities that could hinder your chances tomorrow," Consilia replied, while the other visibly stifled a yawn. The biological clock on these creatures was amusingly strong.

"You might be correct," the General stated. "But I meant the effect on you two, strategist."

"What do you mean," the Hiveling asked, "we are absolutely fine."

"Your kind lives strictly by the clock, strategist," the human continued. "Mine, not so much. I think it was best if you two left to rest now. I shall look over the entire plan alone."

The two chubby bugs looked as if they were about to protest, but were cut off by something that looked as if a jolt had gone through both.

"And I believe the queen agrees with me," Lembit finished, his arms crossed, to which the Hivelings finally nodded and flew out of the planning room.

"Ptui," he murmured. "Childish."

Then, he took a proper look at the sets of cave maps on the table. Being a society that hadn't seemed to develop a lot of advanced technology yet, all of the bugs', Hallownestian or not, schematics and even drawings must've been made by hand, or claw rather. This, however, hadn't stopped the cave-dwelling bugs from coming up with good ways to map their home and its' overly complex surroundings. There was the classical overhead view, which showed the main tunnels and side passages of a certain 'layer' of cave, but also cross-section maps that went from either north to south or east to west, the latter seeming more common.

For their collective mission, the Hivelings and Lembit had focused on the area that held the Pale King's palace, which was a few hundred meters below Hallownest's capital city. Approaches into the deep cave were rather limited, especially unspotted, as apparently more than half of the large cavern was taken up by a chasm that lead down into a dark place called the Abyss. Looking at both the bees' and other bugs' available sketches of the massive structure, it'd become clear that only workers or slaves couldn't have built it, but a less wordly force. The higher being likely was aware of most that happened within those walls, so after sneaking in, they would've needed to find him quickly.

Unfortunately, that was going to be made harder by another thing. There was no map or scheme of the inside, since, as the tacticians had explained, the drawing of those had been made unlawful many years ago. Lembit was fine if he had to improvise a little bit, but this was annoying, extremely so. He wasn't a young pressed-for-time misfit planning for victory at all costs anymore, Even in this sort of medieval warfare, tactical and planned was better than suicidal (unless that was part of the plan).

Thankfully, however, everything that was to happen outside of the White Palace had been precisely written down and delivered to the Hive's soldiers that were tagging along. The idea was cliché, the General knew, but also tried and true. It was the simple distraction game, with one group creating a diversion in front of the magic castle, while he, Hornet and probably the changed boy as well made their way inside.

Now, he was reading the final 'draft' of the route that the Hivelings had created, not really seeing anything wrong with it. It'd indeed been a massive stroke of luck that he had found such a capable enemy to his own enemy.

Looking over each page of the plan was easy, as they were all marked with the bugs' word for 'important'. What made the route more difficult than usual, were the narrow pathways bordered with steep drops into the chasm below. In his opinion, with support from most of the tacticians, the best way in would've been to enter the cavern from a small side-passage, before having two stronger soldiers fly them over to the palace's wall, which didn't seem too hard to scale. All the while, the other soldiers would be causing a ruckus on the bridge in front.

The basic idea was there, but he'd have to go through it in his head a few times before the bigger briefing tomorrow. Still, the theoretical parts were done. Lembit started to pick up and stack the papers. It wasn't that he wished to safe the bees the effort, but that it simply was something to do. After all, the two novices had left very recently and even if they focused completely on the mission, which he doubted, they would definitely take some time to get back.

After a few minutes filled with the shuffling of paper, the circular table looked more-or-less presentable again, the schematics now filed into stacks. The General was left standing in silence again, pondering about some things not so important to the moment. Among them was the slight worry that he was being a bit too hasty with the planned attack. For crying out loud, he made the preparations' deadline less than two days. That was still extremely short from a practical standpoint.

Thankfully, Lembit had something to remind himself that this was probably for the best. They were dealing with a hostile higher being, a Keeper. Specifically the type that could grow incredibly dangerous if left unchecked.

He honestly had a lot of these sorts of mantras to keep himself in line.

However, that didn't mean he couldn't check on this enemy, not at all. Leaning against the chamber's wall, the human subtly reached out. Weirdly enough, he first felt the White Lady's warmer presence, despite the Hive being closer to the Pale King's not-at-all humble abode, though that was probably since he'd met her in person. She'd been nice, for her kind at least.

Still, Lembit had another 'god' to find, so he brought his focus in another direction, down, which was where the Pale King's cold, unbearably perfect presence resided.

It wasn't there.

* * *

The human's eyes widened as he shot up. He tried _reaching_ a bit harder, though not so much that it'd reveal him to any_thing_. The Pale King still wasn't there, at all. That could've only meant he had fully hidden himself, since if he'd died, there would still have been _some_ traces.

Lembit had left him unchecked.

From what he could logically come up with, the king had hidden himself because he'd gotten paranoid of something or, the slightly more concerning option, he'd left his palace, masking himself for some reason. Either way, it warranted action, with even a possible visit to the queen. He turned towards the exit, cracking his gloved knuckles, before hurriedly walking towards it.

However, just as he stepped through the doorway, he was met with the only other of his kind in the Hive: Adrian. Actually, the two almost bumped into each other.

"Oh, nice," the man said, wearing a smile. "The bugs told me you'd be here. Was looking for you."

"Hmm, what for," the General asked, hoping that the conversation wouldn't take too long.

"Nothing much," Adrian replied, digging around in one of his pockets, "just wanted to give you this back." His hand came out, holding Lembit's metal lighter. "If you want that tiny knife of yours, I don't know about where it is. Hornet's got it."

The General nodded. "Thank you, Adrian. I'll pick up the knife later," he said, "but you can keep the lighter. I don't think I'll really need it."

"Wait, really," the American asked, looking at the fancy igniter in his palm. "Thanks, I guess, Sir."

"Yeah, yeah. You're welcome," Lembit replied, beginning to head down the hallway again. "But I've some fairly important things to take care of right now. I'll see you later, Adrian. Take care."

"Hey, wait, I actually wanted to ask you something," the civilian then called, making him stop and turn back, now a bit annoyed.

"Whatever it is, make it quick," he told him, his tone growing irritated. "I _really_ have to be on my way."

"Sorry, I perfectly understand and I promise it'll be quick," the man said, walking closer. "But do you have any idea about Max and his friend are? Asked a few of the bugs and they couldn't tell, even with those weird connected brains of theirs, but one of them said you were giving 'em a rough time just a while ago."

The General looked back at him for a moment, sighing deeply and resisting the urge to face-palm. This wasn't going to go quick after all. Still, he owed him an explanation.

"Yes, we were training a bit more than half an hour ago," he replied. "Max is doing fairly well, by the way." He started to walk down the wax corridor again.

"Okay, that's nice. But I'd still like to know where he is, uh, they are," Adrian said, catching up to him, his friendly expression getting a hint of confusion.

"Fine. I sent them on a training exercise," the other man coldly stated. "Should've been easy enough. Some good practical experience." He at least hoped so, considering there was a chance that the Pale King was on the move somewhere.

"Wait, practical," Adrian began, the confusion swiftly replaced with concern. "Did you send them outside of this place," he asked, making Lembit anticipate the exact reaction he _hadn't_ wanted.

"Yes, I did," he said. "What of it? It'll just be more practice for him. We're going to war tomorrow." He sighed. "Besides, I told you the assignment was easy."

"You sent them out _there_, Juss," he exclaimed, waving his hand at the wall, as the General kept his expression neutral, simply walking on. "What is wrong with you? Who knows what they could run into? I mean- Even _we_ saw what lives in this damn place."

"They shouldn't. I sent them to the city to practice stealth," Lembit said, getting more and more irritated at his companion's panic. "And, as I told you already, we, him included, are going to fucking _war _tomorrow. So calm down and just accept it." He stopped in place and sternly glared at the man, eyebrows raised. This seemed to have at least some effect on him, as he looked back, before nodding slightly.

"Alright, alright," he said, taking deep breaths. "Sorry about that. I- I'm just starting to have second thoughts about this, sending him with you and that warrior-girl tomorrow. I know he's a warrior part of too now, but-"

"I wouldn't say that," Lembit cut in. "He's still a novice, though a fast learner."

"Okay, technicalities. But he'll still hurt other, uh, _bugs_ and they'll hurt him," Adrian continued. "Still has me worried, though. All those things that're changing about him."

"That's natural," the General replied. "You're his uncle. But that aggression's natural for him too now."

"I know you're right," the man solemnly agreed. "Just spooks me to see him change like that. At least he's got Hornet to show him the ropes." The General made a tiny smirk, before beginning to walk again, this time at a faster pace, the other human following right beside. He didn't know if Adrian had noticed the more _interesting _glances between the two young bugs, but he hoped so.

"But you were also right about the other thing," Adrian then said, as they walked, prompting a questioning look from Lembit.

"I _am_ his uncle," he continued, his tone more serious now. "You three, or hell, even at least you should've come to tell me about it. Would've saved me some worry, you know."

"Okay, I'll admit, that might've not been the nicest thing to do," the General casually replied, sighing, "but I had some important things to set straight, even more so now. Letting them go and then getting onto other business was time-effective."

"Fine, I get that you're a military man. You're pressed for time," Adrian said, "but I still want you to take me to where they went out. Would like to at least wait for them. Greet them back."

"Hmm?" Lembit sent a suspicious glance at him. That seemed a bit drastic, though he couldn't really fault the concerned relative. Besides, he was heading back there as well. "Understood," he said, "I'm even going there myself."

"Huh, that's good then," Adrian replied, before falling silent. The two kept up their fast pace, eventually walking through one of the Hive's halls, where the evening was really beginning to show itself, the amount of Hivelings flying overhead having already drastically decreased.

"Wow," the General's companion commented, chuckling, "these bugs have got a real good sense of schedule. Came through here a while ago and there was still a lot going on."

Lembit nodded in agreement, saying: "They do. It's a lot like their smaller cousins who live up top with us."

"Yeah, a bit freaky though," the other man spoke. "But I guess it's getting kind of late late anyway."

* * *

After the minor small-talk, their walk continued in relative silence, with just footsteps and the background buzzing being heard. Lembit had already decided that he would leave at the exit, leaving Adrian alone to wait for the teen bugs' (hopefully) successful return. He wasn't exactly sure what to do once he exited the Hive, but thought that a good place to start would be the White Lady's dark egg-shell. He'd interrogate her if she'd noticed when and how the king had hid himself.

After going through another hallway, they entered the western exit's hall.

Glancing around, Adrian said: "Hm, same place you came in from."

"Indeed, I've noticed," Lembit ironically replied. He approached the steep ledge leading to the corridor outside, the other man following behind. "You can wait for them here or heave yourself up this thing," he then told him.

Adrian looked up the fairly high climb. "Yeah, think I'll just stay here for now. That slope takes one hell of a climb." He went to lean against the nearby pillar, at which the General had given Max and Hornet their assignments before. As Lembit neared the slope to head up himself, however, he got a confused look.

"Wait, I thought you were going to deal with some important things about that attack of yours tomorrow," he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I am. But it's outside and needs _my_ attention rather quickly," the General replied, looking back while his hands grabbed onto the sufficiently climbable wax. In response, Adrian's expression gained a hint of concern once more, to which he added: "It's not about them, don't worry. Though it's as serious if not more."

"Alright, go do that serious thing of yours then," the other man replied, raising a hand to wave goodbye, which got the tiniest of smirks out of Lembit. Positive encouragement was always good to get, however naïve it might have been. Then, he started making his way up, taking wide, frequent and precise leaps. He might've disliked the Brotherhood due to their anarchistic views, also the less-than-friendly encounters he'd had with them in the past, but had to admit that their methods of fast climbing and free-running were incredibly useful when put into practice.

Grasping the upper ledge and pulling himself on, the human got to his feet in the fraction of a second, before beginning to quickly walk down the exit corridor. However, before he'd even reached the quarter mark of it, his eyes widened and he stopped on the spot. Without even needing to reach out, he felt a strong _shift_. One, which he was more than sure was coming from the overgrown caves that his plant-like 'ally' resided in. She was losing energy and with frightening haste. A bit of focusing showed that it wasn't evenly flowing out, but leaving her in strong bursts. It was clear that she was under attack.

Likely by the Pale King.

The human had to get back there and quickly. For a moment, he prepared himself to make another _shortcut_, but then realized how badly it could've turned out. The day of training Max had still taken _some_ out of him and another, especially a longer one like this, wouldn't have left him in the optimal state to face someone like the king, who was bound to have guards. Lembit was strong, but he was still human.

There was no sugarcoating it. He had to haul ass.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

He was more than sure that Hornet didn't feel quite as uneasy, having probably done much more violent things in her life. However, that didn't mean Max wasn't allowed to. Quickly walking after her in the damp metallic tunnels, he couldn't help but shiver a bit. For mother's sakes, they'd just threatened to kill an elderly bug, one that he'd once known no less. Still, it at least hadn't left her completely emotionless, as she'd offered him a few nice words of comfort when they had dropped into the waterways from that secret passage. It wasn't much, but it was from her.

The sewers they were now traveling through were indeed dark and warm, so much so that the hornet even started missing the cool, rainy air of the city above. However, there was a lot less acid than what he'd expected from the big deal his friend had made out of it before. Sure there were a few steamy green puddles here and there, but most of the dangerous stuff seemed to be in the thick windowed pipes they were heading past. Touching the warrior on her shoulder, he sent her a puzzled look, to which she glanced back at him.

"What is it, Max," the warrior asked with a curious expression, not slowing her pace.

"Nothing serious," the hornet responded, a tiny smirk on his face. "Was just wondering why you made this acid seem so dangerous. It doesn't seem too out of hand." He stepped around a slightly larger steaming puddle.

"It is honestly something that's confusing me as much as you right now," his friend spoke. "These sections of the waterways used to be partly flooded with it at some point, since someone had stopped the mechanisms letting it out. This passage was hard to navigate, even for me."

"Oh," Max said, feeling quite interested in Hornet's recounting. "Who do you think did it, then?"

"I am not certain," the female continued, "but I do have my suspicions. Have I mentioned Ghost to you?"

Max nodded. She'd indeed talked about this weirdly named bug before. "They helped you during that battle with the big corrupted warrior you told us about, right? Who exactly are they?"

"It wasn't exactly a _who_, but a _what_," Hornet corrected, before explaining further: "And, yes, Ghost and I did battle the infected vessel to put a stop to what it contained."

"The Infection," Max stated, hoping he'd remembered the name correctly.

"Indeed," the warrior affirmed, her look turning sour. "Although I wish I could've actually been of more help than I was. I worried too much about the Black Egg's weakening effects to regular beings."

"Hey, don't worry, Hornet," the hornet encouraged her, seeing that she was beating herself up again. "You still helped 'it' and won."

To that, the female smiled. "Well, I suppose I did," she said. "Thank you, Max." Gratitude felt nice and the mildly dark tunnel helped the male hide his blush this time, though he _really _needed to learn to hold it back. It couldn't have been decent, right?

"Are you alright," Hornet asked, likely confused by him suddenly turning his head away.

"Yeah, mostly, but this heat's starting to get to me," Max said, hoping she'd buy it, as it actually was partly true. "Do you know when we'll get out of this pipe?"

"I know it can be quite unbearable in here," the warrior replied. "This tunnel is quite long as well, but we should start feeling the draft from outside soon." As if on command, the hornet felt the slightest bit of cool air on his face. "And there it is," his friend then added, smirking.

For a few minutes, the two silently made their way closer to the pipe's exit, the draft already growing into a nice cold breeze. Likely trying to start a conversation again, Hornet spoke up: "Aside from the grave danger we faced, I would consider this trip rather exhilarating. Wouldn't you agree?" She sent an inquisitive look at the hornet who sadly didn't agree very much.

"I really don't know," he replied, looking down in front of him with his head hung. "Taking the longer path up to the city with you was kind of fun, but-" He paused, the recent memory making him uneasy again. "But seeing Mrs.Philips act like that wasn't nice at all. She was acting so _differently_. And I can only guess the other townsfolk are like that too."

He glanced up at his friend, saddened. Hornet returned the look. "I am sorry I cannot be sorry, Max, but our course of action was simply necessary. We needed to threaten that- Who did you say this Phill-ips once was? An innkeeper?"

"Yeah, something like that," the hornet responded, figuring the title fit the job enough. "Though she acted like she was some kind of servant now," he quietly added, mostly to himself, before saying: "And I perfectly understand why we had to threaten her. We've to survive too. It was just her reaction that got me. She couldn't recognize me in any way _and_ called us both savages."

"Hmm, I see your point," Hornet replied, her tone serious. "But I must also tell you that that's how _most_ of these 'civilized' beetles and workbugs of Hallownest see us of the tribes. They've been taught that way for generations and I've no doubt the Pale King instilled some of it in your tribesmates. And, after all, we did break into the residence she served in."

"Okay, I understand what you mean," Max spoke, his tone somber, yet accepting, although being subject to bug-racism didn't sound very pleasant to him. "It's still unnerving though: the way she looked at me as though we'd never met before." Back in Elsewhere, he'd spent quite a lot of time in the diner, as it'd been pretty much the only place to eat outside of his uncle's home. Though he didn't know her that much personally, Mrs. Philips had still come across as a nice older lady.

"Look, I know it may feel unpleasant to you, but this is how things happened," Hornet said, her tone cold and sobering. "You can't affect it so don't let it affect you. End of the issue." She huffed, looking ahead again. "And remember that we're working on fixing things for those bugs. At least partially," she added a bit more warmly.

The hornet nodded slowly, turning to look into the greenish tunnel as well. Yeah, now that he had a few moments to think about it, though she'd basically just told him to deal with it, it was probably for the best. He'd even heard of what had been done to the townsfolks' minds beforehand. Yes, it still was creepy seeing it by himself, especially on someone he kind-of knew, but whining about it wasn't going to change anything. He was going to make and effort and fight for them. Yes! Fight!

Despite the momentary mental triumph, Max still felt uneasy about some things. Sure, he knew that after the Pale King's defeat, he'd stay in the caves as a hunter, hopefully with Hornet. But what about the other bugs from Elsewhere. They weren't predators like him or his friend. He was about to ask his companion. However, just as he was opening his mouth, he saw something in the pipe in front of them: a blueish, natural feeling bit of light, very different from the green glow of the acid and standing out in the middle of the black metal of the tunnel.

"Look there," he said, pointing ahead. "I think that's the exit." He also noticed that the cool breeze had gotten very strong, though it wasn't a gust just yet.

"Indeed," Hornet affirmed. "That's the end of the pipe. We can hasten our pace if you want."

"Really," the hornet asked rhetorically, getting a mischievous idea, as his friend gave a small nod. "Race you there, then," he suddenly exclaimed, taking off at a good speed, hearing a shout of protest from behind him. Max ran towards the lit-up opening, which was slowly getting closer, as another lighter set of footsteps had become audible behind him. The rush of the sprint was amazing, which was exactly what he'd wanted for a cheer-up. Hopefully, Hornet wasn't going to be too mad.

He quickly approached the opening in the floor. However, just as he already thought he'd be the winner, he heard his friend rapidly picking up her pace, before rushing past him, the glimpse of her face revealing a look of satisfaction, but also annoyance. Unfortunately, the near-impact threw Max off for just a moment, making him step onto a smoother spot of the pipe, which was particularly slippery. He lost his balance just before the passage into the cave below, causing him to tumble down. At the last moment, he managed to grab the ledge with one hand.

"Max," Hornet shouted in fear, as the male held on for dear life, remembering not to look down. He kind of knew bugs were able to fall for longer than humans, but wasn't planning to test it.

Thankfully, just mere moments later, Hornet's concerned face appeared above him, followed by the rest of her, as she crouched down and hastily held her hand out. Max grabbed on and managed to pull himself up. He then got to his feet, breathing heavily.

"You're fine," his friend said, a bit of a warble in her firm tone, "That's good, because I _really_ want to be mad at you."

"Please don't be," Max pleaded, not wanting her to be irate again. "Please, I'm sorry. That wasn't a smart thing to do. I got that."

"Don't worry," the warrior continued. "I just said I _wanted_ to. I won't." She caught her breath. "Though, you mustn't get me wrong, Max. Your little stunt was still stupid and hatchlingish and I'm not even sure why I joined in."

She paused, with the hornet not sure how he should reply. "But," she continued, "I'm kind of glad I did," a smirk appeared on her face, confusing her student even further, "because that run was _fun_."

Max's eyes widened. "Wait, you're serious," he asked, still not sure what to feel, though his face was most certainly red now.

"Yes," his friend replied with surprising energy. "Only before you slipped, of course. That was unpleasant for both of us," she added. "Though I hope it taught you about keeping balance."

"Yeah," the hornet murmured, despite not being sure the stumble was entirely his fault. "I guess that makes us even, at least for today," he said.

"Fine, if you wish to count it as such," Hornet replied. "Though I'd say that we simply helped each other in dangerous moments."

"Okay, we're just, uh, good, then," Max spoke, getting a nod from his friend. "So, can we finally get a move on?"

"Yes, that'd be best," the warrior stated, nodding again, before staring down into the circular passage that had once been for water and acid. As was how they'd travelled before, she dropped down first, landing on the rocky ground below the pipe, before expectantly looking back up. Max breathed in and out, before quickly a hand to check if his sheath was still properly fastened.

* * *

Satisfied with the leather thing, he looked back down the hole. "Okay, now to do this _properly_," the hornet muttered to himself, before jumping in. For a moment, the cave swished past him, the next, he felt the ground under his legs, making them bend to absorb the impact. A moment of recovery later, he glanced around the cavern, noting the small rocky path he'd landed on, before looking at Hornet.

"Looks like we're safe," he said.

"No, that is never the case in these caves," his companion replied, "Not anymore at least. This path's also been put under guard by some lone sentries." She started down the path that lead deeper, opening into what looked like a larger cave. "Come now, we're very close to the Hive already." Max nodded, following her to the pit. At its' edge, they both looked down, the sight being yet another that the hornet found amazing.

The 'large cave' was a fairly long chasm, not unlike the even bigger one he remembered once being forced across. While the city-side of the small ravine had a few more pipes coming out of it, the other side was almost entirely made up of the Hive's western wall, which Max finally got to look at from the outside. He didn't gawp for long, as they needed to move and make their way down. Not only to keep themselves from possibly getting spotted, but also because the two bugs wanted to finally report back and finish their objective. It was definitely very late now.

A wordless glance at Hornet and she began leading the way down the narrow pathway, which continued down the city-side, going between the pipes. Moving quickly, yet carefully, they descended, as Max got an even better view of his current 'home. During the fast almost-slide down, he also caught whiff and a glimpse of something a bit further back in the cave, some larger bug hovering in the air. Having dropped onto the small chasm's bottom, he nudged Hornet.

"What is that," he asked, pointing at the direction where the big floaty creature was still flying around.

"A boofly," Hornet replied, looking towards it. "Docile beasts. They usually graze around these chasms. Good prey"

"Yeah, I can feel that," Max agreed. The thing's scent definitely had a 'prey-ish' quality to it, whatever it was. That shell was bound to hide some good meat. It was his job to hunt it, after all.

"Just come, Max. The entrance is just ahead and I want this over with," his friend pleaded, bringing him out of the predatory thoughts, as he nodded in reply

They went downwards into the next cave, one which the hornet instantly recognized, even without the warm glow of the Hive's entrance passage. They'd made it back.

Slowly walking into the familiar tunnel with her, Max could see Hornet's stance almost seem to deflate, as her strong battle-readiness quickly disappeared. He couldn't blame her, since he kind of felt it as well; between finally being in safety again and the overall tiredness getting to settle in, the best thing that now came to mind was the small nice bed in his small nice room.

Hornet glanced at him, getting his attention. "We did it," she then said, relieved, though still sounding awake, despite her fairly tired look. She came to a stop, to which Max did the same.

"Ugh, yeah," he replied, turning towards her. "Now we'll just rest for tomorrow."

"Indeed," the female agreed. "We most certainly deserve it." Max smiled. He kind of liked when she used those fancier words.

Then, however, he remembered something. "Oh, wait. No," he said, dismay in his voice. "We still need to check in with the General. I don't think he'd be happy if we skip out."

"Yes, you're right," Hornet spoke. "But that'll be easy. We shall simply ask a Hiveling to inform him of our success."

"Huh, alright," Max said, not having thought of that. "So we're good for tonight?"

"If you put it that way, then yes," his friend affirmed with a nod, smiling as well. "You did well today, Max."

"Heh, I learned from the best," the hornet replied, smirking, "_and_ the General."

Hornet's eyes widened, before letting out multiple chuckles. "No, that is _not_ how we're supposed speak of our superiors," she said, struggling to contain them. "No matter how annoying they can be. He _is_ quite skilled as well."

"Alright, he kind of is, yeah," Max admitted. "Still not as nice as you." A moment later, he realized what he'd said, shutting up, as his friend did the same.

"Thank you," she then said, her tone uncharacteristically meek. Their eyes meeting, as the yellow glow shone off her mask, Max barely noticed himself edging closer to the pretty warrior, even less the warmth in his cheecks. Looking at his friend's expression, he thought of something. Did she-

* * *

Suddenly, Hornet tensed up, turning to look at the slope leading into the Hive. "Wait, someone's coming up," she asked, making Max look towards it as well. Then, he also heard quiet groans and someone grabbing onto the rough wax. Who was it? He couldn't catch whiff, as the air was moving in the wrong direction. Couldn't have been a Hiveling, though; they'd have flown.

A moment later, however, a familiar human hand appeared on top of the ledge, before Max's uncle pulled the rest of himself onto it, looking extremely winded. He got to his feet and immediately grabbed onto the tunnel wall, breathing heavily.

"Phew," he said, getting more upright and looking at the two bugs. "Max, Hornet, you're finally back."

"Uncle Adrian," Max asked, walking up to him, "what're you doing up here?"

"Well, what do you think?" the human replied, a bit irritation in his voice. "I was waiting. Worrying too, with how much you were taking. You do realize how in the dark I was about this, right?"

The hornet's eyes widened, as he realized that neither the General nor them had had any chance to tell his relative that they were heading out of the Hive.

He opened his mouth, about to apologize, before being cut off by the human.

"Don't worry, kid," he said. "I'm not mad at you."

"Huh?" Max was surprised again. "Thank you, but, uh, sorry anyway. Still wasn't nice of us."

"Don't be sorry. I've understood what was going on well enough," Adrian replied. "Besides, I already yelled at Juss for even sending you on this mission thing and you returned safely. I presume that you were successful at it?" He sent the hornet a questioning look, then Hornet, who'd come closer as well.

"Indeed," she said. "We completed our assignment."

"Yeah," Max added. "Wasn't very pleasant, though."

"Well, I'm not sure the General really meant it to be that," the human spoke. "But please, Max, if you get the chance, definitely try to tell me of these things. You might be a warrior, but I still care 'bout you."

"Mhm, I will," the hornet said, nodding. "Don't worry about it."

"Eh, I'll try not to," the man stated in a smug tone, before facing Hornet. "But I'm definitely going to thank _you_ for helping him out on his first, err, 'assignment'."

"That isn't necessary," she replied, bringing both her hands up. "Both of us contributed to the assignment's success." She looked at Max, smirking. "And we're even in terms of saving each other."

"Whoa, really," Adrian asked, turning towards him as well.

Though the hornet remembered something. "Hey," he exclaimed. "I thought you didn't like to call it that. We just helped each other, remember?"

"Doesn't matter. It's still an achievement," his uncle complimented, "especially for you. Saving the _actual_ princess and all."

Max was about to make a modest reply, but was cut off by Hornet.

"_No_," she shouted with a sudden burst of anger. "You do _not _call me that, hyu-man."

She started to walk up to the human in question, as he stared at her in mild shock. Max decided to step in. "Hey, hey, hey, please stop," he said, getting between the two. "What's the matter, Hornet? Why can't he say that?" He'd understood that she didn't like the other human calling her that, but this was a bit too much.

"Max," she replied, her tone very irate, "I can barely stand being called princess from the General already. I _refuse_ to let anyone else do it."

"Alright, fine," the hornet said with a rougher tone, determined to defend his relative. "But my uncle had no idea about that, so tone it _down_."

"Yes, Hornet," Adrian spoke from behind him, his tone also strict. "I am sorry if that insulted you, but we'll talk about it."

"Yeah, I understand it is a little overformal, but just tell me what's so _bad_ about it," Max asked, as his friend's angry expression was already beginning to falter a bit. "Please. You told me you liked honesty."

"Very well," the female replied, her tone still somewhat annoyed. "I'll tell, Max." This got a smile out of the hornet.

"But I am kind of surprised you didn't understand already," she continued sullenly. "My old realm has no acceptance for me, I am no royalty to them. _And_," she paused for breath, "I am _no_ princess of Hallownest either. I hope you understand why."

"Yeah, I think I do," Max said, nodding, as he tried to make his tone a bit more calming. "_Thanks _for making it clear." He then took a breather as well.

"Alright. I'm sorry for calling you that, then, Hornet," Adrian spoke up. "But the way you blew up at me was a bit too much, especially for your age."

"I'm sorry, Adrian," the female said, guiltily hanging her head. "I- That was not proper of me, but I _am_ tired."

"Not a problem, I forgive you," the human said. "It's late as hell anyway. Though try to keep that usual serious attitude of yours in situations like this, okay?" Hornet nodded.

"Stay practical," Max added, smiling at her. "We'll both get to rest soon, alright?"

"Yes. Thank you, Max," she replied, smiling back. "I'll make sure I don't do something like this again."

"Okay, nice," the male said, before looking at his uncle. "So, shall we head down now?"

"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to stay here a bit longer," the human spoke, leaning against the wax wall. "I want to catch my breath some more before heading down again and we'll get to talk. Come on." He pointed at the spot beside him, which Max quickly filled.

"Why didn't you simply ask a guardian to bring you up," Hornet asked, tilting her head.

"Didn't feel like it," Adrian responded. "I don't think those big girls fully trust me yet. Besides, I like the human way of doing things."

"Ugh, your kind still puzzles me," the warrior said, taking the spot beside Max and looking at them both.

The hornet looked between them both. He was glad the small argument had been so quickly resolved. Conflict amongst the pack wasn't good.

"You know," Adrian commented, looking at the tired hunterbugs. "We could even see the General come back."

"What do you mean by that," Hornet asked, as Max also sent him a confused glance. "Where's the general?"

"That's actually got me a bit worried," the human replied, his expression growing a bit more serious. "After I chewed him out, he walked with me down there to wait for you two." He pointed at the ledge overlooking the western hall. "Then he climbed the slope and went out the Hive. He'd said before that some sort of important things had come up and he needed to deal with them."

"Huh, that _does_ sound serious," Max said, remembering their sighting of the Pale King.

"You're right," Hornet agreed. "Do you have any idea where he was headed?"

"No. Even if he said, I'd have had no clue. I don't know a thing about these caves."

"Hopefully he'll return soon, then," Max stated, suppressing a yawn. "In hatever weird way he'll do it."

* * *

**JUSS**

* * *

Lembit rushed through the caves, running as fast as possible. He'd just made it into the foggy chasm that stood before the White Lady's gardens using the same route that he'd taken last time. From what he could see when it swung into view, there was even yellow glowing visible through his right hand glove. The human didn't care, however; he needed to use _everything_ he had. He only needed to restrict himself enough to still stay hidden.

Having now snuck past the guard-heavy station, being spotted wasn't something the General worried about anymore. He was ready to dispatch of any opposition that might've gotten in his way in the gardens. There was no time more time to lose; he was already late anyway. The discernible attack on the White Lady, or at least any that he could've felt without reaching out, had already ceased when he'd only gotten out of the sewers and begun climbing through the noxious mushroom-filled caves.

That only meant bad and had signaled that he needed to use _more _than his physical training to cover ground. Unfortunately, there'd still been no hasty way he could've crawled through the vents of the bug guards' station, as it would've no doubt been noticed. However, he was now out in the canyon and could go all out again.

He quickly tapped the underside of his mask's nozzle, disabling any air filtering and letting it flow freely, before peeling up his coat sleeves grabbing onto the bottom rocks of the mossy canyon and starting a very rushed ascent. Like when exiting the Hive, he utilized the hoodheads' method of climbing. Lembit's quick leaps up and between the narrow sides of the chasm even caused him to almost fall more than once, as there were quite a few unsecure stones in them.

Despite it, he shortly reached the ledge leading to the big yard's main gate, sprinting down it, desperately hoping he wouldn't be _too_ late. The admittedly beautiful flora of the garden got no attention from him now, as he rushed up the stone steps and metal fences, before going through the short entrance building. He noticed that thin lines of smoke were already coming from between the seams of his glowing glove, but knew he couldn't take it easier, even if it meant damaging it.

Dashing to the high cave, which'd had guards on its' lower levels before, the human jumped on the platforms leading to the large garden building above, not caring about the noise. He'd be too fast for them to chase anyway. Damn wings or not. The ascent through the thorn-filled ornate structure wasn't easy at his pace. Climbing between pillars in the more infested rooms, Lembit got a cut on his exposed wrist, another spike grazing his neck.

Thankfully, he soon reached the windowed room that lead outside again, taking a moment to finally stop and notice that the corpses he'd seen previously had been moved somewhere. Looking outside one of the large glassless frames, Lembit saw a long, wide ditch in the ground, making him shake his head to no one but himself. Wasn't even near to a proper grave. He then picked up his pace again, shaking his steaming glove, since slowing down had made him actually feel the heat.

* * *

The General quickly reached it, crawling into the hole in the rooted egg, as he managed to quickly catch that the white growths outside weren't a pure white anymore, but grayer. He descended down the narrow pit, before heading for the main chamber, ripping his mask off as he went. Pushing past the drapes at the entryway, he looked inside to find the White Lady still sat upon her rocky perch. However, her condition alarmed the General greatly, as on the slouched higher being's blueish bark-esque body were three large open wounds, while her head and hair-like roots were discolored like the ones outside.

"Greetings, higher one," he greeted, sweating, before quickly walking up to her, as the immortal creature rose slightly, her eyes fluttering and now looking very hazed.

"He was here, wasn't he," Juss grimly stated, leaning a bit closer to see her wounds better. "What'd he do?"

"_You- You have come_?" Even though it was spoken in his mind, the Keeper's words were extremely weak. "_Yo- You come despi-_" There was a stop, as she physically coughed. "_Despite hazard_.

"You're an _ally_, White lady," the human replied, seeing that the wounds were from stabbing and not just any kind either. "And I know who did this to you. Why did the Pale King attack you? Please, this is important, for all of us."

"_Mine Wy- Wyrm_," the hurt goddess began to stutter, her speech becoming more archaic. "_W- Why, mine Wyrm. I- hadst so much love for thee, king and beloved." _Her eyes began glistening, as the human's frustration grew. "The attack cost you a lot of energy," he said, looking at the Keeper in anger, though not at her. "The blade wasn't ordinary. I can see that. Please, what'd he do?"

The female tree-creature seemed to try and open her eyes further, the tears now flowing. "_Oh, Wyrm. I bethought that thee hid thineself out of fear, yet thee cameth here. N- No- Not for our love, bu- b- but wielding such a weapon. One not even belonging to thee. Wyrm, how could thee-" _Suddenly, she managed to lock eyes with the General. "_Human, Please. You have found the Daughter, the gendered child. Teach her to succeed the Wyrm. I cannot- I- I'm"-_

Then, her eyes closed, as she slouched over again. Being so close, Lembit could feel the essence within her falter even further, as the grey roots grew a bit darker.

"White lady," he shouted, shock momentarily greater than anger. "Keeper! Wake up!" His mind was running laps. Only a damn miracle would've given her a chance to survive, one that he perhaps could've performed, but he couldn't

He was about to hit her, try to wake her for just a bit more, but a single glance at the disgustingly dark bleeding wounds made it clear it wasn't a good idea. She wouldn't have been able to speak clearly, so any more torment was pointless. A moment later, however, his fury began to bubble.

Complete hatred towards the Pale King came forth. The higher being had become an enemy and threat when he'd decided to attack his species, although not his own homeland. However, even though he'd seen it happen many times before amongst all humans and many others, to break a sacred bond of what once was love in such a violent fashion was still nothing more than disgusting to him. He probably didn't even _care_ what he'd lost himself.

And the weapon he'd done it with. A sword (or nail, rather) made so powerful that it had easily cut a higher being, even made to make them lose their life force. Lembit may have detested most Keepers, but this was pure cruelty.

"_Raisavari_," he hissed, sullenly turning away from the dying White Lady.

And he'd left him with no choice. The general had noticed how uncomfortable Hornet was with being called princess, with what little he knew of her past making it very understandable. But there was no one else anymore. Blood _was_ important, even here. And her nature made her more down to earth, which was good.

Juss knew it'd take convincing and some time, but she was going to have to come around. There was no other option now. Hopefully, she'd at least have a transformed hornet by her side.

But breaking the news was going to be very rough. He was going to be rough, hurt feelings or shock be damned.

Suddenly, Lembit heard heavy muffled footsteps and voices coming from the entrance of the dead queen's den. He hummed, surprised. The guards had actually tracked him. It was no matter. He needed to return quickly anyway. The princess and her protégé friend were at least bound to be back by now.

A split second of focusing, and there was yellow light.

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

_About a minute earlier_

Tiredness had lost a lot of its' meaning to the warrior, as she and Max conversed with the latter's relative. She was quite fond of the hyu-man's easier-going way of conveying and going about things, though she was perfectly it was due to him coming from a place where survival wasn't such a priority.

As her friend had pointed out, the conversation _had_ indeed been slightly slow-moving at its' beginning. However, the words had become a tad bit more frequent soon, as Adrian had asked them to tell of their assignment. Max had liked the idea and she'd as well, so the telling of the tale had begun. As it was a conversation, the hyu-man had stopped them at a few moments, asking more about the route and what it was like, as he still knew rather little of Hallownest.

Though she certainly gave aid in explaining certain parts, also quietly asking her friend to shortly go over when she'd fallen at the collapsed bridge, the main one talking was still Max, which Hornet was okay with. Now that she could relax, the warrior had quite a lot on her mind.

She was also going over the events Max and her had gone through during their assignment, though only on her own. Even the fall, which she'd been saved from by her friend while she had been angry with him for going too far with that annoying sense of irony. She didn't like humor like that. Still, though she'd at first only blamed herself for the mishap, the hornet had shown her the collapsed pillar.

And although Hornet couldn't at all have been able to feel the sense of uneasiness Max had from seeing the elderly female Phill-ips in a position she knew to be normal for commoners, she'd offered him her words of solace, while also telling him not to let his mind linger on the subject and fight to right it. Though, like him, she wasn't yet sure how the hyu-mans' memories could've been restored.

Thinking of the rest of the night, as Max described the City of Tears to Adrian, she turned to look at the darker cave outside, as her thoughts eventually drifted to reflect on the few quiet moments they'd had with the hornet, especially the longer one just a short time ago, which'd been interrupted by the hyu-man. The way their gazes had met in the Hive's glow, it'd felt nice, but also like something else. She knew how caring the male was, to everyone. It was one of the things she admired about him. But the way his gaze seemed to mirror hers and how he seemed to lean towards her. She even properly saw how the cheeks of his mask seemed to take on a different hue. Did he also-

* * *

Before Hornet had the chance to finish her thought, she suddenly saw some sort of yellowish flash come from further in the passage, causing her to properly stand and tense up once more, bringing her honey needle to the ready.

"So the roofs- Huh? Hornet, what's wrong," her friend cut himself off, audibly coming out of his lean as well.

"A flash of light, over there." The warrior pointed at the dark cave ahead, where she then saw movement. "Someone's coming," she said quickly, glancing back to see the hornet's hand grab onto his sheathed nail's handle. A moment later, however, a gust of wind coming from outside brought a familiar ashy scent to them.

"That's the general," Max said, surprised, as he stepped beside Hornet, who skeptically looked ahead. It indeed was. He'd made that flash.

"Yes, I'm back," the heavily garmented hyu-man said, his tone seeming deeper than usual, as he came closer. Weirdly enough, he didn't appear to be wearing the detachable mask he had, the thing instead hanging on his belt. "I see you decided to come up, Adrian."

"Yeah, Sir," the other hyu-man replied from behind them. "It payed off too, look."

"Hmm, looks like it did," the General spoke, looking at Hornet and her friend. "You two are back as well. How did your task go?"

"Good," Max said, his tone a bit tired, but still somewhat enthusiastic, "we got into the city, weren't seen and delivered your tinderbox back to its' house. It got wet, though." For some reason, to the dismaying detail, Adrian let out a chuckle.

"Yeah. They've even been telling me about it," he commented, making Hornet roll her eyes. This was a bit excessive.

"Very well," the General responded, his opinion seeming similar. "So let _them_ talk about it. You two could've easily just dropped it into some well, you know." He paused, allowing the shock at his insolence seep into Hornet's mood and expression. "But don't worry," the hyu-man continued, "I believe you. It's late and you did a good job."

Despite the praise, the bitterness from the sudden jab lingered, as Hornet felt irritation bubbling up.

"But there's still something I've to ask," the General then said, glancing between the two once more. "Did you kill anyone?" The warrior's eyes widened in surprise, as she heard a quiet gasp from her partner.

"Wait, what," Adrian asked. "Sir, Max said that they weren't seen."

"That's not the same thing," the other hyu-man coldly responded. "It could've been nece-"

"Yet it wasn't," Hornet irately cut him off. "We weren't forced to kill any guards so we didn't."

"Yes," Max added, "but there was an, uh, servant at the apartment. We threatened her so she wouldn't give us away."

"Indeed, we did," the warrior affirmed. "However, there was no reason to harm her."

"What," Max's uncle quired again from behind them. "Max, you didn't get to that yet. Who was she?"

"I'll tell you later," the hornet replied to him, glancing back, while the General looked at Hornet.

"Alright then, an assignment done," he said. "To be fair, I expected something like this."

"Thank you, hyu-man," the warrior replied, her frustration slowly starting to dissipate again, as she turned towards the others. "Your compliment is appreciated, for both of us."

Her 'superior' nodded. "Very well, then," he said, his tone lightening up the slightest bit. "Let us head back down then, _princess_."

Suddenly, the corridor fell silent, as Hornet halted, anger at the title rearing its' head. Why? Out of all times, did this hyu-man decide to use this burden she despised so much right now? She tried to breathe; keep herself calm, like she was supposed to be.

"Hey, Sir," Adrian suddenly spoke from beside Max. "I know you're military and a high rank all, can do things we can't, but can you give her some respect please. She almost went ballistic on me for saying that before."

"Yeah, true," her friend added in a supportive tone. "I don't care if you're harsh on us. I think I even kind of like it. But Hornet _really_ doesn't like being called princess. She's not."

"Indeed I'm _not_," Hornet strictly affirmed to the General, nodding. "I desire no relation to the Pale King and I do _not_ wish to have anything to do with Hallownest's leadership after we kill him tomorrow. The queen still has that responsibility."

The General looked at her, before setting a garmented hand on his face, making the warrior unsure of what to anticipate. "I am sorry for calling you that before," he said, a strange grimness suddenly in his tone. "I do like to provoke subordinates, but I understand your point." He sighed with surprising heaviness. "However, I _have_ to do it now."

Hornet tilted her head, confused, as Max huffed behind her "What? Didn't you just hear what she sai-"

"_Quiet_, Maxwell," the hyu-man barked furiously, before facing the warrior again, once again looking grim.

"What _do_ you mean by that," she nervously asked, fearing that the answer wouldn't be to her liking.

"Hornet," replied General _Yuss_ in an actually saddened tone. "The White Lady is _dead_."

* * *

**This one got dark. I really hope you like it, because the last 3,000 words were written in one day.**

**Have a good one. R&R**


	21. Chapter 19: Part One

Chapter 19: Hunt Before the Storm, Part One

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

The scarlet clad warrior was slowly edging her way between the rocks of an ash-covered cave, her hornet companion not far behind. It was quite early in the morning, though that must've mattered a lot more for bugs and hyu-mans on the surface than in the wild tunnels east to the Hive, in terms of lighting, at least. However, for Max and her, it meant that they had yet to fully shake the sleep out of their eyes, as they'd still only recently woken up, before quickly being tasked by the General to leave the Hivelings' realm for a new assignment. One that Hornet actually found to her liking. A lot.

He'd ordered them to go into the caves and _hunt_. _Yes_!

Although Hornet had managed to contain her excitement this time, it didn't mean that there wasn't any less than yesterday. No, she was still glad for a fair amount of reasons, such as getting to introduce Max to the methods of a hunter. Despite the familiar instincts the change had instilled in him, the hornet still had had yet to experience hunting, providing for himself like a predator. _And_ she was happy that it was once again her who could introduce him to another art of survival, though she largely suspected the General simply wanted him to learn to kill, as they hadn't needed to do so in the great city. Which, though not the noblest goal, was still something quite needed in Hornet's opinion.

Although her friend had at first been rather sullen when they'd both been called out of their beds, which Hornet understood, as it'd felt a tad bit _too_ early for her as well, he was now quietly prowling, properly keeping himself low and alert. Coming back from her quick glance towards him, the warrior smiled proudly to herself; it was a good start.

She then looked ahead, focusing on the wild surroundings, as she tried to devote all of her mind to the moment. She didn't hear hoppers of any size; that was good. Taking a breath, she also didn't sense the bitter scent of Aspids; even better, those damned acidic pests. She glanced around again, making an effort to be aware of everything in the quiet cave.

Right now, hunting also meant that she didn't have to pay mind to recent events or anything that was likely to come. Not even the great battle she would be waging with Max and the General in a few hours. No, she wanted a moment of peace from _having_ to fret about the horrid news that the tall hyu-man had brought with him yesterday evening. Anything but that.

* * *

_Last night, moments after Juss' revelation_

* * *

"What," she'd finally managed to dumbly utter, staring into face of the hyu-man as if she was frozen. It felt as if all of a sudden, the threads of her mind were unable to intertwine with one another, leaving her completely stricken.

The General lowered himself to one knee, making him slightly less tall than her "I've already seen and understood what you strived for, Hornet," he said, his tone still bearing melancholy. "And I am sorry things had to go _this_ way."

Realization slowly began to make itself present in Hornet's mind, as she turned to look at Max, whose face was in as much shock as hers must've been, causing him to return the silent, confused glance, which then traveled

"But that means-," the hornet started, before cutting himself off, his eyes widening, as he exhaled. "Who did it," he then asked. The warrior inquisitively moved her gaze to him as well, despite already knowing. It was honestly terrifying how fast her mind had suddenly been able to make that connection, despite it being morbidly obvious.

And _Juss_ must've also understood. "You know it already," he simply replied, as he stood back up and looked behind the warrior. "Even you, Adrian."

As Max gasped with realization, the commoner hyu-man spoke, sighing deeply: "It was the king, wasn't it. That- That is awful." There was a moment of pause. "But I don't understand. How does this affect Hornet so much? What about it forces _that_ title on her?"

Her eyes going wide, Hornet spun herself to face him in almost complete disbelief. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Max also turn around, his glance of a weaker, yet still present surprise. What had just compelled him to even say that? The General took a heavy step towards him.

"_American_," he spoke, tone now strict, "I am going to have to give you a better view of how the world works in places like this." The other of his kind could only stare in response, as he breathed irately, before glancing at Hornet and her friend. "I know it won't be sound, but we all need rest right now."

The descent had been quick and quiet, with likely none of them wishing to let any time go to waste. Now, the small group of four was headed away from the entrance hall and into the depths of the Hive once again, though this time towards their living quarters. Their tired journey wasn't entirely silent anymore, however, as per his promise, the General had begun speaking to Adrian. However, the hornet and warrior were simply walking forward, their gazes to the floor, as the latter felt it was the only thing she could even do at that moment.

Indeed, the overall mood was rightfully crushing, to Hornet especially, as her mind had finally cleared enough to to fully realize the severity of what'd happened, with a part of her even wishing she hadn't. Any new hatred she felt for the Pale King, of which there definitely was, of course, was greatly overshadowed by anguish and terror. Pure terror of the imposing, constricting title of royalty she had only briefly before furiously, yet proudly disowned to _her_ Max and Adrian. Which then, in such a ruthless manner, had so suddenly managed to reattach itself to her. This unfair birth-fated destiny she had hoped to finally be able to avoid in this new age.

"Yes, I know this White Lady, the queen, wasn't her mother," she heard the two-eyed hyu-man quietly say from behind Max and her. Trying to ignore the rather personal conversation the two tall creatures were having, Hornet attempted to rationally think of something, especially about how and why the General had seemed to _appear_ out of the flash of light she'd seen earlier. However, as if by force, her thoughts still drifted to the innumerable amount of hardships she now dreaded defeating the Pale King for his crimes would bring-

_No, stop it!_

* * *

_Back in the caves_

* * *

Hornet shook her head, taking deeper breaths, as the cave and hunting ground fully refocused for her, irritated at herself. She eased her free hand out of the fist it'd made, feeling foolish. For a moment, she had felt _good_ again, leading a hopefully amazing hunt, yet then she'd still drifted back to last night's unfortunate events, luckily stopping herself before the worst panicked fears brought themselves forth. She looked at Max, who responded with a concerned glance, having approached.

"What's wrong," he asked in a proper whisper, getting behind the same short boulder as her. "You seemed distant for a few moments."

"I was, partly at least," the warrior replied, a twinge of quilt in her quiet tone. "My thoughts drifted back to _yesterday_."

The hornet's eyes filled with sympathy. "Oh, that," he said. "Hornet, you don't have to be sorry about that. Last night was horrible to you." Hornet managed a thankful smile. However, it quickly dissipated.

"I still lost my focus," she whispered, "and you know where we are."

"Okay, yeah, I guess that isn't the best right now," her friend admitted. "If you want, I can lead us for a bit. Let you be less tense." Hornet's eyes widened for a moment, before she shook her head.

"No. That wouldn't be much of a solution," she said. "Besides, I don't feel _that_ absent minded."

"That's great," Max replied, "but keep your focus, alright? You're still the one with experience to keep us alive."

Hornet rolled her eyes, before smiling and nodding at him.

She then moved her gaze back into the ash-lit cave ahead, starting their advance again. Although for the moment, the unremarkable tunnel showed no apparent threat, visible or otherwise, that could have changed at any moment. The wind was blowing from behind them, which meant having to pay much more mind to the shadowed cracks and corners ahead. Further down the cave, the passage to another, a wider intersection that she even remembered, was visible.

Looking back at Max, she nudged ahead of them with her head, before hastening her pace. Still keeping her figures low, as was crucial, they neared the entryway to the crossroad, coming to a cautious halt right in front of it. Hornet let her eyes slide over the larger cave, once again not spotting any apparent threat. She glanced at her friend, who was peeking in the direction they came from. His gaze then also met hers again, as he smiled affirmatively, before the two hunters stepped forward.

* * *

They snuck across the cave intersection, which was the meeting point of three other natural paths, one of them a hole in its' middle leading even deeper in the wilderness. Walking slower again, the warrior raised her head higher and sensed the air, since the winds from all four of the tunnels blew here, bringing with themselves the surroundings' scents. And indeed! She already could feel something _interesting_ among them. Something not that familiar, yet still quite prey-ish. Looking over to Max, who'd stalked a bit farther than her, his eyes still focused on the surroundings.

"Max," Hornet called with a louder whisper, getting the male's attention.

"Yeah," he asked. "Can you feel it? The air's full of scents here."

"Indeed, it is rather obvious," the warrior deadpanned. "And I believe I've found something." To that, her companion's eyes widened with curiosity, as he approached. Getting beside her, he also sniffed the air.

"You're right! That's prey," the hornet then said with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm, which he himself must've noticed, covering his mouth with a hand and muttering: "Sorry."

"That's no matter," Hornet insisted, though she also took a quick, wary glance around. "We've got to keep our focus, don't we?"

"Yeah, thanks," her friend replied, before making an accusing smirk. "Wait, I thought you didn't like irony?"

Oh drat! She'd said that completely by accident. At least it was partly good. They were in the moment, _she was_ as well. And it even seemed his greater sense of humor had begun affecting her lesser one, however good or bad it was. Still, other things were important right now.

"No matter," the warrior said, acting as if the last few moments hadn't at all happened, despite the small blush she still felt on her face. "We've to track this scent. No matter that it isn't distinctly boofly."

"Alright," Max offered no argument.

With the hornet behind her, following and observing the path she was taking, the hunter began tracking where the scent was coming from, almost picturing the invisible trail in front of them. Prowling forward, they entered the left-leading cave, which was on the wider side and somewhat darker due to less of the ash laying around. However, this wasn't an issue, since the warrior's eyes quickly adjusted. Still, more care had to be taken, especially considering that the wind, while helping her track the prey, now masked anything that could've snuck up on them.

She sent a worried glance at Max, who seemed to understand, nodding and whispering: "I'll look behind us, okay?"

She affirmed with a small smile and nod of her own, before quickly getting back to following the trail of scent.

As the tunnel went on, the smell became much stronger, making the hunter suspect (and hope) that this creature they were tracking was close. Idly waving her needle in anticipation, she picked up her pace a bit, lightly jogging forward and passing a smaller turn right. Her light taps on the rock were soon joined by the heavier steps of the hornet, prompting her to slow down again as to not alert whatever laid in the larger cave ahead, which had now become unobscured.

* * *

Hornet came to a halt and lowered herself once again, being joined by Max a moment later, the hornet giving her a determined look, which she met with one of her own. Stalking beside one another, they then stepped into the wide rocky cavern, which was much more lit up than the tunnel behind them. Her eyes moving to the cave ceiling, the warrior quickly spotted a fairly large hole that had light shining through it, along with a few lone flakes of glowing ash. However, her gaze then quickly lowered to the ground right below it, or rather to what laid there, unknowingly in the direct path of scent-carrying winds from above.

"By the mother! What is that," Max whispered, tensing up.

"Our prey," Hornet replied, also readying herself and staring at the slumbering creature ahead. "An adult gruzzer, ancestors know how it managed to fly so far down. They usually stay in the upper caves."

"Huh? Are they any danger," her friend quired again.

"I wouldn't say so, no," the warrior explained. "Simply too primal of a mind. They'll just attempt to slam themselves into you. Not very threatening if you're able to dodge."

"Okay, then," her friend said, nodding, as his voice gained more confidence. "Let's go get it."

The male's hand went to his back for his nail, as he tried to take a step forward, only for Hornet to put an arm in his way. Teaching her changed friend might have been the ultimate goal, but she also needed to make him aware of the proper manners she'd once been taught.

"Stop," she said quietly, yet firmly, prompting a confused look from the hornet. "I am the strongest; that means I'll get the first kill."

"Huh? Why," Max asked, looking even more bewildered. "Look, I know you're the better hunter, but I'm pretty sure the General sent us out here to get me to, uh, _kill_ for myself."

"Please, keep your voice down," Hornet replied with an annoyed whisper, as the large gruzzer let out an audible groan. "You don't understand. This is tradition amongst the tribes, Max. The strongest in the pack receives the first kill."

"Okay, sorry," the hornet said, making his tone lower, though it also gained an edge. "That's kind of stupid, though, towards me especially. I don't even have a proper tribe, one that's alive anyway." His face contorted into a frown.

"Please, you don't have to put it as such," the warrior spoke, taken aback by her friend's sudden negativity. "You're still a bug, a proper predator no less, and novice hunter. You should at least _try_ to follow them." Her tone became softer. "Please, let me fell this one."

"Alright, fine," Max whispered. "But because you're my friend, Hornet. Not 'cause some old custom." His expression lightened up. "But I want to have the next prey we come across."

"Of course you shall," Hornet replied with a smile, turning to face the sleeping beast. "It is why we are out here. Now I insist you stay quiet and learn."

Bringing her needle up, she began stepping towards the mature gruzzer. She'd actually seen very few of this size and maturity, having managed to hunt and kill even less, although that could've been due to her paths not usually crossing through their usual dwelling grounds. In truth, Hornet had to admit that wanting to face it _might've_ been a bit out of her own pride (though tradition was still to be followed).

The chubby sleeping creature itself was laying with its' underside towards her, giving a good view of an unremarkable blueish shell and bizarrely soft snout, which moved in tandem with the beast's slow breaths. Its' tiny legs, rear and wings were all completely limp and other than the groan it'd let out before, the large gruzzer wasn't showing any signs of waking. However, that still didn't excuse carelessness. Hornet sent a wary glance at the belly, discovering that while fat, it thankfully didn't have the bulge of an expecting gruz mother. The last thing she wanted was a swarm flying out of her prey.

Having reached the side, Hornet pushed her thoughts aside. She readied her weapon, prepared to unceremoniously pierce it and be done with it. Just before she could bring the blade forward, however, the gruzzer's snout must've managed to scent her, as the next moment, its' giant eyes shot open, before it let out a cry and slammed towards her. Letting out an alarmed yelp, Hornet barely managed to dodge the forceful attack, her needle even grazing her now-awakened prey's side.

"Hornet, are you alright," the hunter heard her friend shout in concern.

"Fret not," she shouted, not letting her prey go unseen, "that was less than nothing."

Screeching angrily, the fat beast had started flying higher towards the opening in the ceiling. Taking it as an attempt to escape, Hornet changed her position, preparing to throw her needle as if it was a lance. However, once again, the creature suddenly moved, turning to face the warrior midair, before letting out one more war-cry and then throwing all of itself at her. It barreled at such a high speed that for a moment, the hunter was prepared to take a blow, rearranging her weapon to deliver a much deadlier one right back.

Thankfully, she still managed to spot a window of opportunity to dodge, taking it, as the gruzzer crashed into the ground beside her. Moving on impulse, she slashed in its' direction, her blade meeting the softer underside of the aggressive creature. Still, she could not land another, as its' weight had made it bounce further away, though not as powerfully like the child-bearers of the species could. It landed, as she quickly approached, prepared to deal the final blow. She neared the creature, causing it to growl and, as a final act of stubborn resistance, dash towards her and right into her readied needle. A few more moments of flailing and it was done, as the prey fell limp in front of the victorious predator.

Hornet sighed with satisfaction, looking down at her kill. The fight had been short, yet productive. The large form was bound to supply a lot of meat, definitely enough for her to carry. She crouched down, before slashing into the creature's belly with her needle. Having made a few slices, she peeled off a piece of the overly soft shell, giving a view of the fat-covered flesh, as a bit of dark blood dripped out, along with the strong, sweet smell of the meat. The warrior didn't let her mouth water just yet, slicing into the beast again and cutting a piece. She made sure that it wouldn't me much of a nuisance to carry, but would also serve as a good enough meal. It'd been a few days since her last anyway and she needed her strength for today.

Hornet finished cutting the chunk of meat, grabbing it with her hand. Now they had to find a good prey for Max, with perhaps even a few more kills afterwards, just for practice. She looked down at her own catch again. By the ancestors, she was a good hunter. Arguably an even better warrior. _But now she would be forced into being so much more_, _too much more_.

As she heard Max approach from behind, her thoughts forcefully drifted back to last night's worries.

* * *

_The Hive's corridors_

* * *

Hornet's mind was racing, thinking of the upcoming days, weeks, probably even months after the following day's undoubtedly decisive events.

She'd learned or even shown interest in any politics. Oh, how many things could've now gone wrong or perhaps not even worked outright because of that. Unavoidable distrust from surviving members of the other tribes, with the most contempt very likely coming from her own Deepnest.

It'd without a doubt get difficult for Hallownest as well, the old kingdom now forcefully rejuvenated, ones that once weren't even bugs and whom she was going to _have_ to take care of no less. For Max, if not anything else. Aside from that, there were so many more incomplete problems she was just beginning to realize could have happened.

Sinking deeper into the fears, the _princess_ warrior could do nothing but keep walking forward with her friend and companions, barely paying mind to the wax corridor they were headed through. Despite her dark thoughts, however, she succeeded in appearing fairly collected and unbothered, but only by staying completely silent and expressionless. Hornet felt as though any show of emotion would've been followed by a cascade and complete breakdown. Of all things, she couldn't let that happen, at least not with the others.

A single good thing, at least, was that the numerous worries were starting to slowly lose their initial shock to her. Hornet still felt awful, but not as overwhelmed, glancing around at where they'd reached and discovered that all their chambers, save for the General's, weren't too far along the corridors anymore. At least her body would be able to rest, though she didn't even hope the same for her mind.

The group of four had fallen completely silent, the two hyu-mans' exchange having ended at some point Hornet hadn't noticed. Then, finally, they crossed into the target hallway, the place she was almost willing to call home.

"Good night," the warrior quietly muttered, as she broke off from Max and her elder companions. Tired and barely keeping up her self-restraint, she sluggishly strode into her chamber. The needle was dropped beside the bed, making a small clatter, while she tossed a cloth over the lamp.

However, just as she was about to make herself fall into the bed, not bothering with the cloak, Hornet heard a familiar voice from the hallway.

"Hornet!"

_Focus, you're hunting!_

* * *

_Beside the gruzzer_

* * *

"Hornet! You all right?" The hunter felt her friend's hand on her cloaked shoulder, to which she turned to meet his concerned face.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm alright. Simply drifted off again."

"Okay," Max replied, "You're squeezing the catch." Her eyes widening slightly, Hornet looked back at the dead prey to see that she'd indeed forced the hand carrying her piece of meat into a fist, with its' juices already dripping out between the fingers. She eased her grip at once, frowning.

"Drat!" She then quietly hissed at herself, before glancing back towards her friend. "This's not at all something you should do, Max."

"Huh? Thanks, I guess," the hornet muttered, still bearing the look of concern. "But why'd you do that, then," he asked. His voice gaining a strange edge.

"As I said," the warrior replied, now a bit irately. "I cut my piece of meat and was just distracted for a moment. I'm sorry, that was not sensible at all, especially out here."

"Yeah, it wasn't," her friend agreed, "_especially_ for you, the best hunter I've seen." His eyes' concern was joined by curiosity. "Hornet, what's wrong?"

"I- I'm sorry, Max," the bug in question started, suddenly finding her voice weakly shaking. "I-"

The hornet sighed heavily, cutting her off. "You were thinking about last evening, weren't you," he said with a saddened tone, to which Hornet gave a nod.

"Yes, I was" she replied, looking at the ground. "Even a hunt cannot take my mind off it." She sighed as well, slowly standing up to her friend's level, her eyes moving to look at him. "I- I truly am sorry, Max. That wasn't at all a good example for you."

"That doesn't matter, Hornet," Max replied, glancing around, then back at her. "At least not _that _much. Last night's news was rough." He shook his head, sighing with his glance downwards for a moment. "You've enough of a right to worry about all that, about today."

"I'm a warrior and shouldn't," Hornet attempted to counter, attempting to sound strong for principle, despite already partly realizing her friend's validity. "Even you aren't," she then shakily added.

"I- that's not true," her friend spoke with an uneasy chuckle, before placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hornet, I really don't know how I've been able to act this okay. I'm scared as _doma_." He chuckled again, as the female leaned to the side, unimpressed, making the hand fall off. The heartfelt exchange aside, such language still wasn't very appealing to her, although he'd at least meant well, with the small confession coming rather unexpected to the warrior. Honestly, she hadn't even stopped to consider what her friend could've been feeling.

"Heh," Max said in an embarrassed tone, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his head. "You don't really like me saying stuff like that, huh?"

Hornet nodded at him. "The Weavers' upbringing was still a _proper_ one," she said, before giving a forgiving smile, getting one back from her friend.

"Yeah, it definitely was," he confidently replied, pointing at the dead gruzzer behind her. "You're even more amazing here than with my training. The way you took that _thing_ down."

The warrior found herself having to agree with the compliment. "Of course," she said, also looking at the prey. "I don't have to hold back with these beasts, you neither in fact."

"You really didn't with this one," the hornet agreed. "T'was so big and you killed it _that_ quickly."

"You needn't be this impressed," Hornet tried to reason back, not finding the feat very worthy, despite the other comments already bettering her mood. "This one wasn't even a child-bearer. Even those are much more dangerous." She remembered when she'd still been her old, unfeeling self and struggled with bringing down one of the hyperactive, bouncy creatures. Now the short memory _almost_ made her shudder.

"Yes, but it's still a feat," Max said, eyeing the prey, "at least one that I'd like to perform. This thing's _big_." He edged ever so slightly closer to the dead beast, which Hornet noticed in an instant, her gaze suddenly becoming suspicious. The tone the hornet had said that with was strange, as if he suddenly wanted to do more than just compliment.

"Indeed," she replied, her own tone now a bit wary, "and there are many greater beasts roaming around us. This catch is passible, though."

"No, I'd say it's pretty good," her companion spoke, edging even closer, as Hornet slowly slid the hand holding the cut-out meat beneath the safety of her cloak, catching a somewhat _hungry_ look in the male's eyes that only amplified her sudden protectiveness.

"What is your point, Max," she asked, perhaps a bit too aggressively, which she realized a moment after, though that didn't stop her from getting a stronger grip on her needle.

"Uhm." The hornet looked taken aback by the harshness of the question. However, that didn't seem to fully discourage him. "Hornet, look," he said, his tone now fairly nervous. "I just thought that maybe you could let me try a bit-"

"_No_," the warrior sharply cut him off. It felt like the mood around them had suddenly been turned on its' head, as she glared at Max. The suspicion and protectiveness absolutely was justified. He was trying to get to _her_ prey that _she_ had killed.

"You won't _touch_ it," she hissed, swinging her needle outwards and disregarding the male's shocked expression, which then gained a hint or frustration.

"Why not," he asked, his tone confused and irate. "There's a lot of it there and its' scent is so good. Come on, please. You can't carry a lot anyway."

The halfling warrior, however, didn't sway to his _clearly_ baseless plea. "No," she angrily exclaimed again, waving her weapon once more. "We're going to catch you something of your own, but right here, you _back off_!" She took a threatening step towards Max, blade pointed forwards, as the latter's face suddenly changed.

"Okay, Hornet, I won't. Sorry," he said fearfully, bringing his hands in front of him and stepping back. "I'm sorry. Please calm down." His breathing hastened as well.

Hornet became silent, suspiciously looking at the scared expression her friend now wore.

Her friend. _Her_ Max.

Oh, all that was ancient, what'd she just done? The warrior's expression changed, as she realized how very mad, in both senses of the word, she'd just gotten. Hornet stood in shock at her unwarranted and great anger, though she knew where the sudden rush of protectiveness. A survival instinct passed down from her ancestors' lonely way of life. One aside the many others that she had actually learned to utilize for their purpose.

And it'd just made her act out against Max in the worst way.

Hornet's expression filled with anguish, looking at her friend who was silently sending an alarmed gaze back, a hand having even neared his nail's handle. He had simply wished a piece of her prey. A bit selfish, yes, but not worth the angry reaction.

"Max," she said, her tone shaking like before. "Max, I'm so sorry."

"Hornet," the hornet replied, still looking at her with wariness. "What just came over you?"

There simply was no reason to lie. "Instinct, Max. I'm sorry," the warrior apologized again, stepping closer and pointing her needle back at the ground.

"Instinct? What d'you mean by that?" As she feared, her friend's tone was becoming frustrated again.

"Exactly what I said," she spoke apologetically, "and habit as well. This is my first proper pack-hunt in a very long time."

"Okay, so you're not used to sharing," Max said. "But what you did was still, like, _too much_. Are you seriously that stressed?"

Stressed? Hornet hadn't thought of that, but it did feel like he had a point.

"Yes, I believe so," she responded, guiltily looking at the hornet. "Will you be able to forgive me, for now at least?"

"Yeah, of course I'll forgive you, Hornet," her friend spoke, igniting a small spark of happiness in her eyes. "But this- All of this, we're gonna have to talk about it some more," he added, stepping closer.

Hornet nodded. A talk would've indeed been a good way to at least lessen the fears before the coming terror of their attack.

Though wasn't this hunt supposed to provide those few moments of relief from the stress? She suddenly realized how much of a halt they had come to. They needed to get going and with good reason, as she was becoming aware of a bitter, though weak scent of those pesky, acidic beasts spreading around them. That required caution, right away in fact.

Hornet glanced around, feeling the air some more. For now at least, the smell didn't seem to be that near yet. There wasn't any movement in the cave either. Satisfied for the time being, she faced her concerned friend again

"What is it," he asked. "Is that scent a threat?" He then sent a few wary looks to his sides as well, nail-hand readied.

"Not right now," the warrior replied, "but I do believe it is best if we prowled onward. You still need to hunt for yourself, kill a pre-"

She was cut off by an otherwise unremarkable gust of wind blowing into the cave from the ceiling opening. However, it brought with it a very strong wave of the unpleasant aspid scent, which didn't only signal more than one in a swarm, but that it was close.

Her eyes widened. "We need to move, now," she exclaimed, hushed, to Max, who, to which he replied with an alarmed nod.

Hornet gripped her needle and catch, taking off from beside the felled gruzzer, her friend's footsteps following her, as the two sprinted as fast as they could to escape the coming beasts. Heading back into the tunnel, the stream of wind worked to aid them, not impairing their stride and leaving less of a scent trail in the cave. Despite this, they were still somewhat slowed down by its' now restrictive rocky floor, which made it harder for her friend to keep up.

Honestly, running on a perfectly flat surface without obstacles was no real show of skill. For a moment, Hornet even imagined the idea of a _real _caverace with Max once he was more experienced, before quickly dismissing the thought and bringing her mind back into the moment.  
The exit of the rocky passage already visible, she sent a hurried look back at her friend. Though his running was clearly much rougher than her own practiced dash, the hornet still kept up with the determination on his face joined by a smirk, as he noticed her glance.

The warrior quickly smiled back, before common sense forced her to look ahead again. Stumbling wasn't something she wished to do. Up ahead, the entryway to the wider crossroad was already visible. They'd definitely make it there, yes, but she wasn't sure where to head from there. From the scent-carrying wind and a very quiet angry buzzing, very much unlike the Hivelings', it was clear that the aspid swarm was headed towards them, which at least meant they needed to keep moving.

* * *

A few moments after, the warrior then finally leaped into the intersection of tunnels, her friend close behind. The two stopped in the middle of the big cave, the ho

rnet using the slower moment to catch his breath, as Hornet hastily glanced between the other passageways.

"Which way do we go," Max asked, also looking around.

"There isn't much choice," Hornet replied, as he quiet buzz of wings was starting to sound closer, "but we can't head against the wind. Aspids are good trackers."

"What even are these things? Can't we fight them?" The alarm in her friend's face was again joined by determination.

"No, Max," the warrior said strictly. "Aspids are _not_ something I want us- you facing yet. They are deadly alone and even more so in a swarm."

"Okay. Then we _really_ don't have many choices," the hornet admitted.

"Indeed, just one." The warrior's eyes drifted over to the hole in the cave floor, towards which she could feel the wind flowing. "We're heading down there. Stay behind me."

The approaching swarm was already fairly audible, as the two hunters picked up their pace again, running to the downwards passage. Reaching the ledge, the warrior started down the steep slope, quickly stepping between the rocks obstructing the path. Stopping beside a somewhat larger boulder, she looked back up, as her friend began a much more uneasy descent.

"Over here, Max," Hornet called, diminishing her voice to a loud whisper.

The hornet nodded, heading towards the rock. Moments later, he was behind it, the warrior quickly joining him.

"We're hidden here, right," Max whispered, hanging onto the rock for balance.

"Hopefully, yes," Hornet replied just as quietly, carefully peeking out and bringing her attention to the cave opening.

"Alright, _hopefully_," her friend repeated, as the aspid swarm's buzzing grew closer. A moment after, the warrior saw one fly over the upright cave's entrance, before being followed by multiple others. She leaned back, not wishing to be noticed by the poison-sacked creatures. She then looked at Max, who nodded silently, keeping silent, as they'd had to do at the station yesterday, though the beasts hunting them weren't as dangerous as the _one_ who'd taken the tram.

Thankfully, like last evening, luck was on their side once again, as not too long after, the swarm's buzzing started to diminish, as the aspids probably couldn't catch anything of the two hunters any more, likely heading back to scavenge the dead gruzzer instead. A few more moments went by and Hornet stood up, her friend doing the same.

"Okay. I'm just gonna assume those things lost us," the hornet said with his voice still lowered.

"Indeed, we should be safe for now," the warrior replied, nodding. "Aspids aren't the best at searching, thankfully enough. Still, we'd best pick up our pace."

"Down there?" Max pointed at the way leading further down, to which Hornet gave another nod. Taking the path down lessened the chance of meeting the swarm again and, if memory served her correctly, lead to another greater cavern which'd hopefully something for the hornet to hunt. Without thinking of it any further, she began climbing downwards.

After a short while of silent, careful descent, the slope evened out, becoming straight enough for the two bugs to be able to properly walk on. Having reached the cave floor first, Hornet stood still for a few moments, as Max also slid down, bringing with him a cascade of tiny loose rocks.

"Phew," he breathed, before looking at the warrior. "You _really_ need to show me how your step's that light. I mean both your hands are full and you didn't even make a sound coming down this thing." He pointed up the slope. "And your run is so fluid."

"I'm not sure I can do that, Max," she replied, feeling the slightest bit of guilt at the fact, "since I didn't really learn it myself. The spiders of my mother's side were always balanced and agile and it carried over to my own nature. I've just trained it further."

"That doesn't make you less graceful," she heard her friend mutter, which managed to make her feel quite a lot better, with the warmth almost reaching her mask again.

"Thank you, Max," Hornet acknowledged, before facing away to start heading down the tunnel, "but I believe we really should refocus on our hunt." She headed towards the entrance into the next cave, the hornet walking beside her.

"So we're not going to do that _talk_ now, are we," he asked, to which the warrior shook her head. "Okay, you're right. Not the time." He sighed, also looking ahead.

They walked for a minute or two, Hornet taking the time to try and relax her mind. Then Max spoke up. "So I'm going to guess we're finally going find me prey," he asked, a fair bit of reluctancy suddenly accompanying his tone.

"Indeed. Finding good prey shouldn't prove very hard on those grounds," the scarlet clad hunter replied, nodding towards the lit passage, before looking at him encouragingly. "And you'll do it well. I'll even step in if need be."  
Though she might've been willing to do it, in truth, Hornet hoped it wouldn't actually be necessary and believed her friend would prevail on his own.

"It still feels a little unnerving," the hornet in question spoke, "I'm going to actually kill something."

Hornet sighed "I understand it may feel imposing, Max, but you know it necessary. It's why we're predators. Simply follow your kind's instincts. They've been of great help to you so far," she spoke, managing a smile for him. In truth, to her it almost felt like the old magic inside her friend's mask had done half his training for them.

"Yeah, these instincts," Max msaid. "I'm not sure if I want them to control me like this. I don't even know how far they can go." His tone grew irate. "What if sometime, they just make me lash out like you did up there?"

Her eyes widening, Hornet couldn't help but stop in place frown at the unpleasant memory, partly with guilt. Why did he have to bring it up already? She'd told him they would speak of those things when they'd gotten back. The mood was beginning to annoy her as well.

Her companion also stood still, before sending her a confused glance. A moment later, however, the hornet's expression changed, seeing hers, his eyes gaining what the warrior could recognize as regret.

"Oh _d_\- Oh no," he muttered at the cave floor, then looked back at her with guilt "Hornet, I shouldn't've said that. I'm sorry."

Hornet demandingly glared back at him, crossing her arms. "Indeed, you shouldn't have," she firmly stated, nodding, before letting more feeling into her tone. "Max, what's so suddenly the matter?" The warrior's gaze became lighter, as she looked at him, concerned. Her own worries aside, his was no state of mind to hunt with. Calmth was key, after all.

"I'm sorry, Hornet," her friend sullenly replied. "Everything feels so gloomy after yesterday. I'm just properly understanding it now and it just brought me down." He sighed, his voice even a bit shaky "But I shouldn't have started whining to you, not here."

While Hornet might've otherwise protested his harsh statement, Max had unfortunately been right. His feelings mattered to her, yes, but like she'd before, he was now letting too many show.

"You're right," she agreed, her tone strict again. "You're letting yourself out of hand and need to suck it up." She raised her voice, dropping her needle and grasped the hornet's shoulder with the freed hand. "I'm just going to tell you that: _suck it up_! Things are awful, but you still need to kill something and _we_ still need to kill Pale King. So keep those feelings until we get back, so we can _both_ talk."

She sternly looked at her companion, waiting for a response. Max's breathing had hastened, as he stood silent, looking at her. For a moment, Hornet worried if she'd perhaps spoken too harshly. However, she then saw her friend's eyes light up with joy and something else she couldn't exactly recognize. The hornet then raised his own hands to grasp hers.

"That was amazing, Hornet," he said, his tone properly firm and praiseful. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the warrior replied, surprised at how well her words seemed to have worked. "That really helped, didn't it?"

"I think I just made it clear _you_ did," the male jokingly replied, clearing any doubts from her mind, along with making her feel that warmth she had towards him. "It was really good."

"Then I really hope you're fit for hunting again," she declared, smiling at him, before facing the light of the tunnel exit.

"Yeah, more or less at least," Max spoke, although his firm tone faltered slightly. "Let's just get this over and done with." Hornet then heard as her friend finally pulled his nail from its' sheath to carry it on his side, as they both started walking.

"Are you entirely sure you're ready for this, Max," Hornet asked, as they headed closer to the almost blinding light of the big cave ahead, even though she knew her friend's answer.

"Yes, Hornet, I'm okay," the hornet replied, a bit of annoyance in his voice. "When we get back, uhm, _home_, I know we'll both have someone's shoulder to cry into."

Hornet's smirk disappeared at the comment, turning into a glare. That wasn't a laughing matter. He had a _lot_ of nerve saying that.

"I'm a warrior, Max," she said, stern once more. "I do _not_ cry."

The other bug was taken aback. "Okay, sorry," he said, also serious again. "Bad joke for right now."

"Yes," Hornet spoke, as they neared the lit passage, "pay attention to the important things." Her friend nodded, before they both looked ahead-

She raised her needle hand to shield her eyes, walking first through the natural stone archway. Moments after, her sight adjusted, as Max gasped audibly beside her. Hornet herself took a moment to shake her head, clearing it of the rather tasteless joke. It might've been okay at rare occasions, but crying was still a show of weakness.

Besides, she didn't need to do it anymore.

_She'd cried already. And it'd even helped._

* * *

_Outside her chamber_

* * *

Though she wanted nothing more than to just get to bed already, however much it would've helped, Hornet had enough care to see what Max had called her outside for. Worn out, she walked into the hallway, seeing the General disappear around the corner of the hallway. Her friend stood in the corridor's middle, looking almost as weary as her, but still managing a tired smile at her. The warrior approached him, still trying to stay emotionless. She knew what'd happen if she didn't.

"What is it, Max," she asked her friend, struggling to keep her tone firm.

"Nothing serious, don't worry," the hornet replied, looking back at her. "I just wanted to say good night." He paused, as Hornet nodded. Even now, his consideration felt nice. However, Max's smile then faded, as he sighed continued: "And I'm so sorry for what just happened, for what _he_ said, Hornet. It isn't fair to you."

All of a sudden, Hornet couldn't keep it like that anymore, almost feeling her fragile shell shatter. Why did he have to say that? It'd been well meaning and absolutely right, but why? The things _he_ had told her flashed again. She looked at the ground, feeling something warm well up between her eyes and mask, as her fingers started twitching.

"Hornet," her friend called out with concern, reaching a hand towards her.

"No, don't," she shakily replied, looking up at him. "Please," she then asked. "Don't follow me, Max. Not right now." She turned away from the hornet, before bolting down the hallway with a sudden rush of energy, a single place in mind. As she ran past the confused Hiveling night guardians, the halfling could already feel the tears running down her mask. That didn't matter anymore. She needed the most guiding bug she knew.

Covering the way out of pure memory, Hornet soon rushed to the long corridor, her teacher's perch the only thing she cared to look towards. She slowed down before the final doorway, coming to a walk, as she noticed someone already standing beside Vespa, clad in dark. The General turned around, making the few falling tears stop for a moment, as the saddened warrior stared in surprise at the stern hyu-man, who she'd just minutes before seen walking away from the living chambers.

"Wha- How did-," she quietly stuttered, even remembering his bizarre appearance at the entrance tunnel for a few moments, before the embarrassment from him seeing her like took over, leaving her feeling paralyzed.

"Hornet," the maternal voice of Vespa then asked, as the ghostly Hiveling looked out from behind the foreign warrior. "Oh, dear me, you look awful. Hornet, please come here." Try as she might, the halfling could only stare at the General, who spoke up.

"It is fine, Queen, Hornet. I'll leave you two alone." He started walking towards the doorway. Hornet, feeling able to move again, stepped out of the way, still looking at him with fear. As he passed, the General returned the look. "Go ahead, Hornet," he spoke, not at all sternly. "You have a chance to let yourself go. Use it." He then walked out into the corridor, leaving the warrior alone with Vespa.

"Did he already tell you," she asked, taking slow steps towards the Hive queen, her voice still the furthest thing from firm.

"Indeed," Vespa nodded sadly. "He's quite fast, isn't he?"

"That's- That's not important right now," Hornet said, as the tears started flowing again. "You know what is.

"Hm," the sleek Hiveling hummed. "What is, then?"

What? Why was she saying this? "Huh? You know what it is," the halfling spoke, choking back a sob. "You just said you did!"

"I may have," her oldest friend admitted grimly, showing no sign of joking. "But I want you to say it yourself, Hornet."

Hornet stopped her approach, sad and confused, as she held back another sob, though the tears were a lost cause at that point. She looked at her teacher again. "Why," she asked, "I don't want to."

At that, Vespa sighed heavily. "Because it will be the hardest thing in your life and something you cannot handle without admitting it first," she said, before extending her spectral arms invitingly, a translucent glisten in one of her many eyes as well. "Please, Hornet, tell me what has happened."

The halfling looked at the Hiveling for a few moments, still fighting the crying. Then, she couldn't bear it anymore. Wanting _some_ form of offered solace, she began, wishing to make it at quick as possible: "Th- The White Lady is D- Dead a- and the Pale Ki- ing is going t- to die." She paused, as Vespa nodded. "A- and that only leaves m- me for Hallownest," she quietly whispered, before going through another fit of sobs.

"I know," the maternal queen stated, nodding. "It's so simple, yet so hard."

"Vespa," Hornet asked, looking straight at her, "what do I do now? I- I'm scared."

"Right now," her wise friend asked, to which she nodded desperately.

"Now, you will cry your eyes out," the Hiveling taught, "You will cry as I did upon waking up as a heirless ghost and it will help."

For a moment, the halfling was confused again, still trying to fight it. However, the next, she realized how futile it was and collapsed to her knees in front of the floating monarch, letting the sobs rock her body to its' core. Tear-filled glances towards Vespa showed her saddened, yet encouragingly smiling face, which helped Hornet even further, as the tears flowed at the utterly imposing future.

Soon, her eyes started to finally dry up, the tears spent. Already, the warrior felt a little less awful, as Vespa smiled down on her. However, the day and crying had finally taken the last out of her. Still sitting, she sent an embarrassed glance at her teacher, who simply nodded understandingly.

"Please, lay down. You're tired from all this and no one shall be here to judge you. You know how my _other_ children sleep."

Not willing to protest its' improperness any more, Hornet laid down at her feet, curling into her cloak. Before drifting to a still-uneasy sleep, she even managed to smile.

* * *

Refocusing on the large cave ahead, the warrior gave a sad smile to herself. Exhausting herself to sleep that way, under Vespa's protective gaze, had _really_ helped. Although strangely enough, when the General had woken them up in the morning, she'd found herself back in her own bed.

* * *

**Going to be frank here: I'm not really proud of myself. Between procrastination and over-ambition, I've decided to split ch 19 to keep the schedule, but not drive myself insane. Max is up next week.**

**We have some drama here, with even a melodramatic ending to top it off. Still, stay tuned for after the hunt. That's going to be fun.**

**Also, should I keep alternating between mask and face or just pick one and stick with it? Lemme know R&R**

**EDIT: Added a little bit at the end to tie things together a little better.**


	22. Chapter 19: Part Two

Chapter 19: Hunt Before the Storm, Part Two

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

The hornet shook himself out of his momentary awe. He found quite amazing that a wide, tall and well-lit cave could be surrounded by such maze of narrow tunnels the two hunters had just passed through. However, he'd also promised Hornet to keep his head in the game and to get that first kill done proper. The idea still made him a bit nervous, yes, but his friend's short, sobering speech had helped him to push it aside. Max grasped his nail's handle a bit more firmly, before looking over their surroundings again.

The cave floor, aside from its' natural, rocky unevenness, was widely covered by the glowy, pale flakes that he remembered Hornet mentioned to be ash. Additionally, in some spots, thin blades of grass were growing out from between the stones, their color not unlike the 'ash'. The white even extended to the strange long root-like growths coming out of the cave ceiling.

Besides the glowing plants, however, the cave also didn't appear to be inhabited by anything other than them. Max took a quick sniff of the cave's open air, but that gave little too, as any scents, at least from where he was standing, seemed too faint to go by.

Not exactly sure of their next move, the novice turned towards his companion.

"So, what direction should we go, Hornet," he asked, to which Hornet glanced back, her eyes wide with confusion for a short moment.

"Huh," she breathed, before her gaze regained its' usual precise look. "Oh. What direction? Give me a moment, Max. We'll see."

She raised her head, trying the air as well. "I smelled the air already," Max said. "There wasn't anything I could really recognize, especially not close."

"That's just because you've yet to get used to these beasts' scents, Max, don't worry," Hornet replied, "however, you're right. There's no prey near us." She then paused, looking to be in thought. A few moments later, the warrior spoke again: "We'd just go east, in the direction of the Hive. Unless my senses are fooling me, then there's going to be at least a single boofly in the way."

The hornet nodded. "Uh-huh, understood," he spoke enthusiastically. "One of those should be easy for me, right?"

"Yes, those are easy to fell indeed," his friend agreed, nodding. "I'm confident that you'll do well. Still, you mustn't overestimate yourself." Her expression gained a bit of concern, as she advised: "When you're attacking, be precise with it, Max, lest you get hurt more than the boofly."

"Hey, don't put it like that," Max replied, annoyed. "I've still got eyes, you know, I can hit it properly."

Hornet's eyes widened. "Sorry," she hastily apologized. "I did not say that in the best way."

The hornet felt his eyes roll themselves, a smile also making itself present. "It's okay," he said, raising his free hand. "You have to get the point across someway out here." He looked around for effect, before facing her again. "General puts things rough too. Don't worry."

"Alright, thank you" the warrior spoke, returning the positive expression, before it became serious again. "But I'll keep worrying until you prove I mustn't. Let's get going, shall we? The Hive is that way." She pointed left down the big cave they were in, before starting forward with a steady, yet still cautious step. Following beside her, Max figured having his nail out wasn't that necessary at the moment and moved to fit it back between the leather straps.

The layer of 'ash' covering the ground somewhat muffled the taps of the two hunters' feet, which Max could feel was an advantage. Even though there really wasn't anything to be seen or sensed, not yet at least, he still figured they had to be stealthy. As they continued on through the tall cavern, he carefully looked around it. An annoying tug at the back of his mind, which was definitely one of his predatory instincts made him feel just a bit on edge out in the wide open. He figured it wasn't exactly wrong either, since something could've even attacked them here. The smoky scent of the ash could've hidden theirs fairly well.

No, he couldn't think like that. He had to hold on to this confidence Hornet had given him, not only to easily slay his prey (whatever it was going to be), but to properly comfort her when they got back. That was clearly needed. Max could see the way the awful news brought by Juss had already seemed to affect her normal attitude, not to mention her concentration.

For the most part, she was still beyond amazing to him, the way she'd so quickly wiped the floor with that 'gruzzer' seriously impressing the hornet and heck, she was leading them right now. But the impact those words had on her were visible made him concerned. Weird spider-instinct or not, the way his friend had blown up at him for going near her prey was incredibly unlike her (not to mention how much it'd actually scared him), not to mention how she, _she_ of all bugs lost her attention during the hunt, her thoughts seeming to focus on other things.

And Max was pretty sure he knew what those things were now, although it'd taken him longer than he felt it should've to understand them. Even the General's explanation to his uncle had only fully registered to him when he was already in bed.

* * *

_Last night, the Hive_

* * *

The climb down from the ledge had been quick, but uncomfortably silent, owing it to the exchange in the tunnel. The depressing mood made itself even clearer once they started heading back to their chamber, not a single word being uttered by anyone at first.

Aside from his tiredness finally starting to properly manifest, Max himself was still shocked from the news the General had so grimly delivered, not even fully sure how he should take it. He'd never met this White Lady they had spoken of, but knew from what he'd heard that she'd been the queen of Hallownest and also another magic being. However, no matter how much he tried to, the hornet couldn't entirely grasp the things that her death was going to cause, but he knew that none of them would be good. Unlike Adrian, he at the very least understood a bit of the implications it had for Hornet. It could have been another effect of his changed mind, but like the General had already so brashly put it, a part of him _knew_ she was going to have to deal with the title she so clearly loathed, though what'd even come of that was unclear to him.

Still, walking into the wax tunnels beside her, the humans following behind, a short glance in her direction already told him that things weren't very, as even though her face didn't show much expression, there was just something _haunted_ he saw in her eyes and it actually hurt him a bit. Despite wanting to try and say something, Max just kept sullenly heading forward, realizing that he didn't understand what she could have been feeling.

"Sir," he then heard his uncle quietly address the General. "About what you said up in that tunnel. Sorry if my question sounded dumb to ya'll, but I'd still really like to know how this makes Hornet _royalty_."

"Alright, I'll discuss," the dark-wearing soldier replied to him, as Max decided to listen in, hoping to get a better picture of his friend's problem. "You've seen that these bugs aren't as advanced as us in terms of technology."

"Yeah, that's kind of obvious," Adrian said.

"Well," Juss continued, "that was the case for their societies as well. They were definitely very medieval, that extended to the rulership as well. You know what a monarch is, don't you?"

"I'm not stupid, you know. Passed history well enough." Max noticed his uncle's tone grow a little annoyed. "Kings and queens. I guess chiefs too for the tribes you've mentioned. Old-fashioned inherited power."

"That's right," the General spoke, " and this was also the case for Hallownest. However, the king and Lady were immortal and didn't need heirs. Not until now, at least. Though I hope you're aware that Hornet isn't exactly theirs."

"Yes, I know this White Lady, the queen, wasn't her mother," Adrian stated.

"Indeed, but it doesn't make her less valid to the title and heirdom," the one-eyed human explained on. "And from what I've heard of it, her mother's tribe has cast her out." Max sent another sad glance at his friend, whose gaze was now pointed straight at the ground. Despite being a small thing, it was another they had in common, that being both of them were technically tribeless. Though he didn't know if she was listening right now.

"Alright, but I'd still like to know why she has to be a princess or the heir," his uncle then went on, as the hornet listened in again. "I mean she's clearly unhappy from it, looks much more comfortable with that weapon of hers. From what I understand, there isn't even much of a kingdom left anyway because of that plague. You're involved with politics, Sir. Can't you help create some sort of more modern government once you've taken that tyrant down?"

In response, the General sighed heavily. "I won't blame you for not understanding, Adrian," he spoke, "you've spent your life in the _normal _world, so I'll try to explain this to as well as I can. The folks living in these caves here are _bugs_, a completely different species from us. We might be similar, but their minds still work differently and I am fairly certain they _need_ a definite leader."

Max's eyes widened in surprise, as his uncle asked, confused: "What do you mean by that? Why do they _need_ one?"

"I mean exactly that," Juss replied. "Our species, mankind, has evolved and developed on its' own. There's always been change in leaders and government. However, as I said, it's different for the bugs. Hallownest always had the king, since he was immortal and powerful. From what I understand, the tribes also had royal castes, much like _our_ bugs do. It's even right here in front of you."

There was a pause, as Max could only presume the General was pointing at the dimly lit Hive, which he agreed was a good example. The Hivelings had their queen mother, just as he _realized_ the hornets were supposed to have. It was natural.

"Huh," Adrian said. "So it's a biological thing."

"For some of them, yes, but also cultural for the rest," the other human added. "There's quite a few races of bugs, some with more agency than others. Hornet was thrown out by her mother's tribe because of her father."

"Okay, the warriors didn't like outsiders. But what's linking her to the kingdom?" Adrian sounded confused again, as felt the hornet.

"The Pale King's blood flows through her," the General explained. "Creatures like him usually keep their subjects organized through powerful magic. That innately carries over to their children as well. Because of that, when we _depose_ of the king, Hallownest's bugs will most likely be drawn towards Hornet. It's basically wired into them."

"God damn." Adrian uttered. "I'll be frank, Juss. I've literally no idea how you know so much of this magic nonsense, so I'm a take your word on it." He sighed. "I think I at least got the gist of it though. Poor girl." There was no reply from the soldier, as the party fell into silence again. Staring ahead, a part of Max's tired mind couldn't even believe what he'd just heard, much less entirely process it. How did the one-eyed General even know about all this?

His thought process wasn't helped when the hornet heard a yawn from his relative, to which he couldn't stifle one of his own. Human or bug, yawns were still contagious.

At least one thing had been properly made clear to him: it was going to get difficult for Hornet after the revenge on the king, possibly for him as well. For any other conclusions, he needed rest, as did his friend, as a look at her revealed no change in her expression or posture. Fortunately enough, he was beginning to recognize how close they were getting to their chambers. Sleep was near-

* * *

_Wait, what is that scent?_

He definitely sensed something.

The hornet shook his head, clearing it and bringing the cave fully into focus again. The two hunters had covered quite a bit of ground and Max could now see the far end of the tall cavern, where it seemed to split off into more tunnels. He quickly looked around and saw that they still appeared to be alone. However, he'd suddenly caught wind of a strong scent coming from somewhere around, one which he already recognized from the brief encounter yesterday.

Boofly. Prey.

"Yes! We're finally getting near," Hornet said beside him, as she came to a halt, obviously sensing the creature as well

"Yeah, that certainly feels close," Max agreed, coming to a stop himself, before turning towards her. "Any idea where it is?"

"Of that, I'm not yet quite sure of," his friend replied, a bit of embarrassment in her tone. "But its' scent's strong enough that it cannot be far. Certainly not beyond this cave," she continued, glancing beyond the hornet's shoulder, her gaze becoming much sharper. "So it has to be here somewhere."

Max nodded silently, the warrior's point clear to him, before also looking at the cave. He squinted his eyes at the seemingly peaceful 'ash'-covered surroundings, despite being fairly sure that he wouldn't be able to notice much more than his friend. Scanning along the grey walls, he didn't see any other crack that would've been able to hide or even fit the massive body he remembered. The scent itself didn't seem to be really pointing somewhere either, seemingly floating all around them. This was beginning to feel a bit weird.

Suddenly, he noticed something, though not through his eyes. Instead, thanks to the silence Hornet and him had fallen into, the novice could faintly hear the buzzing of wings. One, which he then understood was coming from above, realizing he hadn't even thought of looking there.

However, the hornet didn't appear to be the only one, as before he could even look straight up, he heard his companion irately say: "Ugh, _there_ you are, beast. Max, the boofly's above us."

"I just noticed that, yeah," the hornet replied, having fully craned his head upwards. "Hidden pretty well for something that big." The giant bug was indeed very high, floating in place close to the tall cave's ceiling. Right next to it was another bunch of the white, glowing root-things growing down from the rock and hiding the grazing beast even better. Upon getting a closer look, Max noticed that it even seemed to be nibbling from the pale plant.

"Well, now it's in our sights, distracted as well" the warrior spoke, her tone determined. "You've a perfect opportunity to ambush, Max." She looked at him, a predatory, yet still warm smile on her mask.

"Yeah, it looks good," the hornet agreed with a smirk of his own, staring up at _his_ unsuspecting prey, the large bug's scent encouraging the hunter within him. After all, he did feel a bit hungry, even though his last meal had only been two days ago. The smell was just that good, despite coming from so high. All the way under the ceiling.

All of a sudden, Max frowned, as he looked down from the prey and at the cave wall, which lead into the ceiling. Like the ground beneath the 'ash', it was gray and quite rough, with large round rocks laying on top of each other the entire way up. It was tall, _very_ tall.

"What's wrong, Max," Hornet asked with concern in her voice, obviously noticing his changed expression.

"I- I don't think I'll be able to handle my nail all the way up there," the novice guiltily replied, looking at her. He might've have been able to climb quite well already, having made it up the entirety of that enormous lift shaft with his friend yesterday, but swinging his weapon while hanging from that high up wasn't something he wanted to risk yet.

"What do you mean," the female asked with clear annoyance, looking up. "I am sure this wall is nothing you couldn't climb up or hit that-" She cut herself off, realization visible in her eyes, before facing him again with a sorry look. "Oh, drat! I haven't shown you proper climb-fighting yet."

"Hasn't been on the curriculum indeed," Max replied with a dry chuckle, ignoring her friend's unimpressed look, before asking: "So what do we do, then? Leave it here and try to find another one for me?"

A hint of anger flashed across Hornet's face. "Absolutely not," she protested heatedly, even leaning towards him. "That, Max, is the _last_ thing that a hunter should do. I've known bugs, spiders that have gone to their deaths, just to avoid giving up."

Max was taken aback by the outburst, as he said: "Wow, you serious?" The warrior nodded solemnly, to which the hornet's eyes widened, such an idea suddenly seeming frighteningly honorable to him. "Okay, Hornet. Do you have any idea what I should do, then," he asked.

"Bah, of course not, at least not yet," the female replied, a hint of annoyance in her tone again, "but I am fairly certain that _you_ don't either."

"Okay, yeah, I'll admit it" the hornet spoke, glancing upwards at the to-be prey, as his mind tried to work something out. "Though this doesn't look easy at all, at least for me."

"Unfortunately, you seem to be right," his companion replied, before huffing with frustration. "But there has to be a way for us- you to properly get to it." She cleared her throat, very hastily adding: "Sorry, I did not mean to say that."

"Huh." Ignoring the correction, Max's eyes widened at what the female had just said, as an idea suddenly made itself present. "You just said 'us', Hornet," he stated, facing her.

"Yes," the warrior spoke, looking confused. "As I said, it was a mere slip of the tongue. I mean no claim to _your_ boofly, Max, I promised you that." She then looked towards the ground. "Though I've no good suggestions for you to reach it yet."

"It's okay, I think I've got one," the hornet replied, at which his friend glanced back up, surprised. Though he had to admit also feeling pretty stricken by it as well. After all, it'd come so quick, almost as if it were completely natural.  
Still, the idea excited Max, as he explained: "You'd make it up there yourself and get the boofly to flee down here so I could finish it off myself. We'd do it together, like proper packs do."

For a moment, his friend simply stared at him in silence, looking awestruck.

"Max," she then spoke with a firm tone, a nice smile on her face, "that is an incredibly good idea." She paused, her expression falling off a bit. "And I've honestly no clue how I did not come up with it myself."

"It's just a simply pack-kill, Hornet," the hornet said, the words coming to him on their own. "Didn't your old tribe ever do it?"

"Rarely. Most of _them_ were spiders, after all," the warrior replied, her gaze narrowing at him. "Besides, you know how long I've spent alone."

Max's eyes widened, an embarrassed blush showing, before he shook his head. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that," he quickly apologized, getting an equally small nod in response, to which he began: "Okay, Hornet, let's bring down that boofly, then. You climb up and frighten or knock it off balance or something and I'll hopefully be ready down here." He paused, warily eyeing the female's needle. "Try not to slash too well though. I don't want it to die before getting to me."

Hornet huffed. "I do not break promises, Max, especially to you" she affirmed. "I will do as little harm as I can to your prey." Suddenly, the warrior threw the gruzzer meat she'd hunted onto the ground. "But while I'm up there, this shall stay right here. I'll know when you even go near it," she demanded, even scowling for a moment. Max didn't say anything, solemnly nodding, which seemed to appease his friend, who smiled again, before turning to reach the cave wall.

Grabbing onto the rock with her freed hand, Hornet looked towards him again. "Good luck, Max. I hope this will be something for you to remember," she encouraged. "And remember, don't hold back."

"Thanks, I won't," Max replied, as his companion started quickly making her way up, leaping towards the prey.

* * *

Eyeing the warrior's ascent, the hornet took deeper breaths, trying to ready his mind as well as he could. That wasn't entirely easy, however, as for the slightest moment, hesitance at actually _killing_ finally made itself present in his mind. Prey or not, the boofly was still another living creature. Thankfully, it was then suppressed by the instinctual knowledge that it'd be natural. He was a predator, a hunter.

And also nervous as _doma_, this was still his _first _one.

Despite that, the smirk on his mask widened, as he drew his nail from its' sheath, bringing it forward. He at least felt ready.

Then, he saw his friend finally come to a stop beneath the cave ceiling. The next moment, she leaped at the fat creature, sending a surprisingly powerful kick into its' side. The blow caused made it stagger backwards through the air, though not enough for the boofly to lose control. Fortunately, the warrior quickly followed up with a quick dash, her needle visibly sliding along the beast's wings, its' pained scream reaching Max, who frowned, really hoping that it would be the extent his friend hurt the prey. Said hunter spun around the large glowing root, using it to go for another kick, which impacted the back.

This properly threw the large bug off, as it let out another wail, pointing its' head towards the ground below, before barreling down. Staring intently at his finally approaching prey, the novice used both instinct and the things he'd already learned from Hornet to strengthen his stance as much as he still could. Meanwhile, the warrior was sliding down the giant white root beside the beast, harassing it with fast kicks and pokes, likely in order to keep it headed towards him. Only seconds later, however, the glowing stem ended and she jumped off, leaving only the falling beast.

As mere moments separated it from the hornet, the rush kicked in and time began to feel slower. Max's eyes narrowed, only focused on the boofly, as his mind suppressed the last stubborn qualms about killing. It was too late for those anyway. It was his turn now.

The large-bodied bug slammed into the rocky ground, as Max narrowly dodged out of its' way. He quickly turned around, using both hands for a powerful swing of his nail, aiming for the creature's underside. However, before he even had the chance to land the blow, the wild beast suddenly thrashed towards him. Unable to dodge, the hornet was hit right in the chest, knocking him backwards. Taken off balance, he quickly tried to lunge forward for an attack, but was met with another flail from his opponent, as it swung up with its' legs, launching a cloud of ash into his face and knocking him off his feet.

For a single moment, Max laid on the cave floor, the rush numbing the pain. A split second and he was standing, clutching his nail and furiously staring at the prey, as he wiped the itchy flakes off his mask. The creature screeched, flailing itself upright. It then tried to run, kicking up more ash and angering the hornet even further.

All of a sudden, his vision truly went orange, as he suddenly couldn't see anything other than the prey, the insolent prey that was trying to get away from him! How _dared _it? It was going to _die_!

"Get over here," he waspishly yelled, before yelling out the war cry of his tribe and rushing towards the boofly. Despite the fat beast's feeble attempts to escape, he caught up in moments, delivering a kick to the side. Then, he swung his blade again, aiming straight for the head. Going for that usually killed, right?

He slashed. _Kill!_

Something felt _very_ warm. He slashed again. _Kill!_

He slashed once more, growling. It had to _die!_

Finally, the hornet pulled his nail out again, breathing heavily and shaking his head, as his vision turned normal again, before turning around and raising both hands with a victorious shout. Moments later, the rush finally ran out and he suddenly felt drained, though no less elated. He'd done it. He looked ahead to see Hornet, who had landed safely and was quietly staring at him. Max looked back, his breaths still deep, a smile coming to his face. He opened his mouth, about to cheer of their success.

Then, however, he stopped himself, noticing his friend's expression. The warrior's eyes were wide with pure shock and her stance almost seemed fearful.

Max frowned, becoming concerned. "Hornet, what's wrong," he asked, taking a step towards her, to which the female broke her silence as well.

"Max," she said, her voice tense, "have you _any_ explanation for what you just did?" The disbelief on her face faded into clear anger, as she began marching towards the confused hornet.

"What do you mean? I did it," he replied. "I killed the beast. I- Did I do something wrong? Why're you a-" He cut himself off, catching a small glimpse of his nail-hand. Like the blade it was still grasping, it was covered in orange, _too_ much of it. Looking further down, Max saw that it was the same for the rest of his arm and even part of his midsection, his natural stripes stained by the orange. He finally understood what felt so _warm_. But how did so much-

"Something wrong? Just _look_ at yourself, Max," Hornet continued, coming to a stop in front of him. "_Look_ at your prey?" She pointed behind him, prompting the perplex male to take a proper look at his felled boofly.

"Huh." His eyes widened, as he looked at the dead prey, now realizing how he'd gotten so stained. The sight wasn't pretty in the slightest. He knew his anger-fueled blows had been heavy, but this was farther than anything he'd expected of himself. The masked head was on the ground, separate from the rest of the creature. However, what disturbed him the most was how little the sight itself did. It almost felt normal, for a battle at least.

"Whoa," Max awkwardly began, turning back towards his angry friend. "I- I really went too far here, didn't I?"

Hornet nodded angrily. "What even _happened_ to you, Max," she spoke. "Are you feeling well?"

"I think so, yeah," the male replied, noticing how calm he did felt. As if he hadn't been seething at his prey just minutes ago. "I'm fine. The boofly slammed into me and I got really angry at it." He sighed, a bit guilty. "I know it wasn't very, uh, hunterly, but at least I got _my_ kill. That counts."

"But how? How're you so suddenly fine," his friend asked, desperation creeping into her expression and tone. "I've only seen such rageful brutality amongst the husks and Mantis rouges. Something could be wrong with you."

"I told you, I'm fine now," Max affirmed, becoming slightly annoyed. He still didn't see it as that serious. "Why are you so worked up?"

"Do you not even understand how unlike you that was," the female asked, her voice beginning to shake a bit. "That anger. You- You scared me, Max!" She raised her hand, grasping his shoulder. "_Never_ do that again!"

Max's eyes went wide, as the irritation instantly disappeared. The way he had so suddenly gotten angry, it could've indeed been serious. Especially considering it'd made Hornet scared and of him no less.

"I'm sorry," he agreed, "you're right. I think this _could_ be serious." He paused, as his friend's expression mellowed. "I really am feeling normal now, though. I- We'll try to deal with this back at the Hive, okay?"

The warrior nodded. "We should discuss it, yes, among the _other_ things," she replied, her tone its' proper, usual calm again. "Though I do hope there'll be time, since we're now going to have to get you cleaned up as well."

Max couldn't help the embarrassed blush. "Yeah, I guess so," he stated, feeling the warmth of the orange, even on the bottom of his mask, which no doubt would've looked terrifying to any other bug.

* * *

However, before they could be on their way back, the hornet still had to cut some meat from his boofly. While his friend went to pick up her own catch, Max turned towards his, nail ready to work again. He decided to cut into the underbelly first, the messy process something that would've definitely made him gag as a human, which he wasn't even sure his body could do anymore. Another thing he didn't mind of his new race.

Max slashed into the creature again, before setting his weapon aside and pulling off the shell piece, exposing the inviting, dark orange flesh inside. Going by the female's previously set example, the hornet then cut a piece just sizeable enough to carry with one hand, before deciding to take another as well, though not for himself. A part of him wanted to make it up to Hornet, but he also just felt like sharing with her. She deserved it.

The second chunk properly cut, he then stood up, lifting his nail and fitting it back into the sheath. Taking breath to collect himself, he look over to the warrior and shouted: "Hey, Hornet, can you come here for a moment?"

"Hmm?" The female looked over with a confused expression, before quickly approaching. Reaching beside him, she asked: "What is it? Can we be on our way?"

"Uh, yeah, right away," Max replied. "Just wanted to give you this beforehand." He held out his hand, offering the second piece, which clearly surprised his friend

"What? There's no need," she declined. "It's _yours_, Max. Why are you giving it to me? You killed the boofly."

"Don't worry, I've got another one for myself," the hornet stated, showing the other one, "Besides, we killed it together." He smiled awkwardly, stretching his arm a bit further. "Come on, take it. We're a pack, right? Packs share." Upon saying that, he felt a bit of his blush return.

There was a long, gravid pause, as the female's questioning glance shifted between him and the meat chunk. Then, she finally relented, rolling her eyes and huffing. "Fine, but I'm only doing this because _you_ asked," she responded, her mask gaining that strange faint pink as well. The warrior reached her off hand to pick up the chunk, before they both realized she was already holding one.

"Ugh, I cannot take it still," Hornet muttered. "Neither of these fit into my pockets and I wish to keep mine for the Hive." She began to push Max's hand back, as the latter suddenly got another idea.

"Why don't you eat it here then," he asked, nudging the small gift towards her again.

The female looked taken aback by this. "That-," she began, glancing at the chunk. "That idea is good, I'll admit. It's unfair to you, however."

"Well, I'll just eat mine as well," the hornet responded, smirking. "I'm a bit hungry anyway. Besides, I think my look'll be enough for the General." He pointed a claw at his stained midsection.

The warrior glared at him for a few more moments, before sighing and placing her weapon down. "Alright, Max, you win," she said, grabbing the flesh and almost instantly tearing into it. His eyes widening, Max quickly got to work on his own piece of the catch. It really didn't taste too different from the cooked one they'd once been given, though it'd already cooled in the air.

The two hunters ate busily for at least a few minutes and, like the last time, Hornet finished hers first once again. His chunk gone as well, Max smiled at his friend.

"You're _really_ fast at this, you know."

"It is simple experience," the female non chalantly replied. "In time, you'll probably learn it as well. Besides that, I think we should be on our way now. I don't wish to lose any more time."

This time, Max was able to agree. "Yeah," he said, before pointing at the smaller tunnel entrances at the back of the cave. "You said the Hive was back through there, right?"

"Yes," Hornet affirmed, nodding, "that passage in the middle leads directly to it. I am fairly sure the Hivelings themselves even dug it." She wiped the bottom of her mask, then walked in front of the hornet, once more taking the lead.

As Max started to head after her, he suddenly heard a strong echo of buzzing come from behind them. Moments later, he could also feel a bitter, acidic smell. One he hadn't wished to hear that day anymore. His friend looked back at him, her expression just as alarmed.

"How did they find us again," the novice asked.

"There is no point in guessing," the warrior said. "For now, we _really_ need to get going." Following a single nod from the male, they indeed did so, rushing into the cave ahead.

* * *

Running through the passage, there wasn't a lot of time to be careful anymore (actually, there was none). Max simply focused on what direction they were heading, also paying some mind to not stumble. Soon after entering, the buzzing of the swarm became audible again, clearly hot on their trail. Hopefully, they'd reach the Hive in time. Still, aside from being chased by the bloodthirsty beasts, he felt that their little hunt had gone well, at least mostly.

The dark tunnel went on for some time and as they rushed on through it, the hornet's breathing grew heavier. He even started to grow worried, not really wanting to overwork himself considering what was yet to come today. Luckily, that didn't seem to be the case, as he glimpsed light ahead of his friend. Very shortly after, they exited the tunnel.

Max's eyes quickly adjusted and the looming brown wall of the Hive became clear, with what must've been the eastern entrance glowing with its' waxy yellow. There were large Hivelings already waiting for them, along with a two other figures, these ones human.

"Guardians," Hornet shouted, "we're in need of help! Aspid swarm!"

The imposing bugs nodded stoically, letting the fleeing bugs run between them. Both hunters leaned against the wall, their breaths heavy, but also relieved. Looking up at his friend, Max saw her smiling at him, to which he replied with the same, as the Hive's protectors hovered to hold back the aggressive beasts.

"Max, Hornet, you're back," the hornet's uncle suddenly called, getting both their attention and reassuring nods.

"Indeed, welcome back," the one-eyed human added, before asking: "I presume your hunt has gone well?" Like when they'd left, the General had his techy-sounding mask off and on his belt.

"Yes, it has, hyu-mans," the warrior spoke up, her own tone becoming more serious. "Max and I both managed to slay good prey." She extended her arm, showing the piece of gruzzer.

Adrian's eyebrows rose, while Juss just glared at it, hand under his chin, before finally nodding. "Doesn't even look half bad. Good work." His gaze then turned towards Max.

"I can see the you certainly had an interesting ti-," he began, before being cut off by the other human.

"Holy sh- Max, what happened to you?" The hornet's relative pointed towards the bloodstains. "That's blood, right," he asked, getting a confused look from the female.

Knowing he owed her at least a short explanation later, Max sighed. "Yea-," he started, being in turn interrupted by the General.

"Yes, that's bug-blood," he stated, his strong look almost prying into him. "And quite a lot of it actually. How _did_ you get covered in this much, Max?"

The young bug looked down for a moment, suddenly feeling a bit apprehensive about telling. Still, he probably shouldn't've left the two humans answerless. "Well, we took down a boofly together," he began again. "I killed it. Just before that, though, it managed to slam me into the ground an- and that made me angry, like very angry, so I-" He paused, shaking his head to pull some composure back together. "Everything went orange and I just went crazy on it."

Max pointed at his sheathed nail, before looking back at the humans. As he expected, Adrian's eyes had gone wide with shock, while Juss even looked mildly surprised. "_That_ is not normal," the former then exclaimed, his voice bearing clear worry. "Max, I can understand and accept your new, uh, _species_ making you differ from humans and wanting to fight, but that is something we should be concerned with." He faced the soldier. "Juss, I know at least you understand that _that_ isn't okay."

"He doesn't have to," the hornet spoke up, feeling quite bad. "I- We're concerned too, even Hornet." He looked at his friend, who nodded affirmatively, her expression also concerned. "She thinks it could be something serious, so I do as well and we're going to see if we can get help for it."

The explanation seemed to relieve his uncle at least a little bit, though not entirely. "Good, so we can go do that then," he asked rather than stated, looking between the two hunters and the other human, who slowly shook his head.

"No, Adrian, at least not right now," he spoke, raising a gloved finger when it looked like the other man wanted to interject again. "Seriously, calm down. If it's serious in the long run, then we'll deal with it, but at least right now, he looks fine." Having seemingly shut Max's relative up, he turned to him and Hornet again. "I hope it's understood that we're moving out fairly soon. If this matter concerns you two that much, try consulting Vespa. Otherwise, do not burden yourselves that mu-"

The human was cut off by a surprisingly loud screech from the doorway, where three of the guardians were still pushing against the rabid swarm of aspids, growling against the beasts' noises. However, one of them had fallen behind the others and now turned around, revealing multiple wounds from the creatures' acid, the freshest one very close to her face. She retreated, sending a sorry look towards the group.

Max and Hornet livened themselves into battle stances, the former's hand grasping his hilt, as even Adrian took a cautious step back.

"Damn interrupting spitters," the General grumbled, moving as well, though exactly to face the gap left by the injured Hiveling. "At least you'll make for target practice." Upon saying that, the young bug saw his hand go to the giant holster strapped to his chest, before pulling out an equally big and bulky gun, which looked weirdly old fashioned.

Strangeness aside, the human then firmly aimed it at the invading aspids, as Max quickly decided to cover his ears. Despite this, he still winced at the first, high-pitched shot, which even alarmed the other defending guardians. Then there was another shot, followed by three more, all separated by the soldier pulling on the weapon's back, though the male wasn't even sure if he really hit anything. Looking beside him, the hornet saw his friend's eyes were as wide as they probably could get.

Juss glanced back at them. "Don't stay here, you two" he spoke sternly. "Like I said, go and relax as much as you still can. Don't burden your minds. Understood, Hornet?"

"Very well," the warrior replied, some of the shock still audible in her voice

"And Max," the human continued, "wash yourself or leave it on to scare the palace guards. Now scram, all of you. You as well, Adrian. I've at least a little more target practice to do."

Having gotten the message, the three creatures, began heading back into the Hive, all silent at first, as Max though of Juss' suggestion. The idea of scaring the Pale King's palace guards didn't suddenly seem that bad. After all, he could've just washed it off later in the evening. After they had saved the day. Pondering on the idea for a few more quiet minutes, he decided to ask.

"Hey, Hornet, I've a question" he addressed his friend, looking at her with a hopeful grin, which the warrior, now entirely recovered from her shock, seemed to understand almost instantly.

"If it is that, then absolutely not," she immediately shut him down, frowning. "We're definitely getting you cleaned."

Max pouted for a few moments, before just walking on. _Females._

"I've a question as well, Max," Hornet then asked, to which he replied with a questioning hum.

"_What was that?"_

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

While her friend was properly scrubbing the much and blood off himself, Hornet waited at the side of the bathing chamber's pool, not really feeling the need to get in herself, even though there weren't any other Hivelings present.

Max's brief explanation of the hyu-man's strange weapon had intrigued her quite a bit. And to think she had made the holstered item out to be a shortnail with a strange hilt. No, this contraption was much more powerful than a simple blade, but also much more dangerous. To pierce an opponent from so far away was an advantage she didn't want to face against.

However, aside from her short thoughts on that, almost everything else she'd wanted to go over or even speak of with her companion simply did not surface proper anymore. From the real stress from _having_ to be a, _ugh_, princess to the small doubts Max himself showed – it seemed like the Generals admonition to not burden herself had worked, though not entirely. The rage the male had killed the boofly with was still something she wanted answers for in the short term.

Yet now they had already spent quite a long time in the bathing chamber simply _being_, as Max washed himself. Simply put, relaxing for what was to come. While a part of her enjoyed it, another was once again angry at the hyu-man, since they had agreed to speak of their problems during the hunt. Now, that would most likely be postponed.

"Hey, am I finally done enough," she suddenly heard the male ask, as he'd stepped out of the bathing pond. Turning around to face him, Hornet looked him over. The Weavers may have lived in tough conditions, but proper still meant 'without a single spot'. Thankfully, all the orange of the blood was indeed finally gone, letting her nod in approval.

"Okay, so what now," Max then spoke.

"I am not exactly sure," the halfling replied, frowning to herself. "If you wish, we may as well stay here until summoned, but-"

"You want to go and talk to queen Vespa, right," the hornet basically finished for her, to which she nodded much less proudly.

"Yeah, I think we really should do that," he then added. "Would be some relief at least."

Hornet's face lit up again. "I'm glad you can see that," she said happily.

"If you wish to, then I suggest you do it quickly," a familiar, stern voice said, making both of them instantly turn towards the doorway. The hyu-man was stood under the arch, which no doubt meant that the ravaging swarm had been held back.

"Wait, time's passed that quickly," Max asked, mirroring Hornet's own surprise.

"Yes, splashing around can sometimes do that," the General dryly replied. "We are moving fairly soon and I want you in the western hall in thirty. Get your things done by then." With that, he stepped back from the chamber's entrance and disappeared into the hall.

The warrior looked at her friend, who stared back.

"Well, let's go," she then said, getting a strong nod, though not before the male had shaken himself dry. He then went and picked up his sheathe, reattaching it, as she collected her needle.

They walked to the doorway. However, before entering the hall, Hornet remembered something.

"Wait a moment," she said, as the two stopped.

"What? Something wrong," Max asked, nicely considerate as always.

"No," Hornet replied with a warmth in her face, leaning closer to him, "I simply forgot to thank you for that meat."

"Oh." his friend looked a bit taken aback. "Thanks for the thanks, I guess."

"You are welcome. However," she continued, putting more pressure in her tone, "_you_ forgot to _promise_ me that you will never scare me like that again."

"Oh that?" Max seemed surprised again. "Of course I will. I mean what else is there that could scare you?"

Hornet's mask grew even warmer from the flattery. "There are some things," she confessed.

"Well, we get to deal with one of them now," the hornet encouraged on, "so let's go get some _damn _answers."

The warrior sighed. _Males._

* * *

**Here it is, the Max part. The result of some mild writer's block at first mixed with overworking myself in the last few days. I'm pretty sure there are pacing issues, but at least we got some good exposition in the flashback. **

**I'm pretty sure the bugs' blood is canonically orange like the Infection, which only makes it creepier, but feel free to correct me. Still, hope you enjoyed, because we're getting to the big one soon.**

**On a side note, I might be taking an actual break sometime before or during Christmas, so just keep that in mind. R&R**

**EDIT: A bit more dialouge at the end**


	23. Chapter 20: Storming the White Palace

Chapter 20: Storming the White Palace

**Please read the author's note at the end.**

* * *

**THE PALE KING**

* * *

Hewas sat on the throne, _focused_ on restraining himself.

Not His body, for it was too perfect for that, but instead what it now held within.

There was so much _more_ of Him now, so much that he knew He should have taken hold of during his first, weaker reign.

No longer did He consider its' acquisition a sacrifice, for it was so clear how necessary it'd been. After all, as already the most powerful, he simply deserved this.

Yet he had to restrain all of _**it**_ for now, keep it hidden still.

He was now very much aware of the prying eyes and foul intentions of another. A new usurper that'd come to His realm, one whose presence had not been easy to discover.

He was not aware of their shape just yet, but was certain they had arrived from the world above, which no doubt meant wishes of evil against His growing domain

Still, this imposer's apparent skill in hiding themselves was of no matter.

_**He **__was so much beyond something mere like that now. _

Of course, none knew yet. Not his loyal subjects, nor _any_ enemies to his pale light, he had made _sure_ of that.

For He wished to reveal it in a properly grand way.

By using it to utterly destroy and drain the intruder when they inevitably came for Him, along with any misguided humans accompanying them.

After that, His _**strength**_would truly be unmatched, even to the sentries marching for his domain.

He would then make haste to bring the same horrible fate to the barbarian that had corrupted Hornet.

For now, however, the _P_a_l_e _W_y_r_m sat, waiting.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

The hornet walked out of the queen Hiveling's corridor with his friend. He was pretty sure their small meeting with her could've been called a success, even though it had probably been a little long for the tiny bit of time they had. Keeping a quick pace, the two bugs were now headed to the good old Westernmost hall, where General Juss was probably already waiting, ready for their attack on the king.

But Max didn't wish to think about that just yet. For at least a few more minutes, he felt it needed to reflect on their brief, nice conversation with Vespa and the things she'd been able to tell them, some of which really did calm the worries he had, though some still remained. Despite it, the hornet felt a bit annoyed at how little time there'd been, partly blaming it on himself. The General had been right, he'd cleaned himself for _far _too long (even though his friend's version of '_clean_' had also played a bit of a role in that).

At the very least, it'd helped him to cool off from the hunt.

Following the human's exit from the bathing chamber, Hornet and Max had quickly gotten their gear and gone as well, though not before sharing a pleasant moment in the doorway, as the warrior had softly thanked him for the meat he'd shared with her from the prey. Though a moment after, she'd practically forced him to promise that he never scared her again, to which he'd, of course, agreed. Making _her_ scared still made him feel bad. Still, right after, they had set off for the queen.

In the course of the last few days, Max had really started to memorize the various halls and routes of the Hive. So when they had walked up to the queen's spot this time, Hornet hadn't even had to 'lead' him anymore. Just like right now, their step had been quick. They'd hurried past the midday buzz of the workers and had fairly soon entered the long tunnel leading to the monarch.

Having entered the royal hall, or at least the walkway overlooking it, the two bugs had been greeted by the transparent figure of Vespa, who'd turned towards them with surprise.

"Hornet, Max, whatever are you here for," the ghost had asked. "You two are aware that you're meant to be off quite soon already?"

"Don't worry, Vespa, we are," Hornet had affirmed. "We simply wished to speak of something before our departure. If it's alright with you, that is?"

Vespa had smiled. "Of course it is alright with me," she had said, "I am glad to be of any help. Although it confuses me that you didn't come here slightly before." Her asking glance had wandered towards Max.

"Yeah, about that," the hornet had spoken up, still feeling a bit embarrassed from it. "We went down to the bathing chambers to get me cleaned up after we'd gotten back. We were a bit spent from the hunt and I guess I took too long." He'd looked at the warrior, who'd nodded in agreement.

"Oh, I understand," the royal Hiveling had replied, knowingly smiling at him, before adding: "I must admit that the Weavers' sense of perfection has even surprised me at times."

At this, the warrior had huffed. "There's nothing wrong with cleanliness," she'd said, even sounding a bit offended. "You were _covered _in blood, Max." Her tone had then become a bit more reserved. "Though I confess that it _may _have been keeping us from doing more important things."

"Yes, it _may've_, but it also allowed both of you a proper rest," the queen had then stated, getting confused looks from the two younger bugs, " After all, a hunt is still not the simplest undertaking, especially for you, Max, as isn't what you two shall shortly be taking part in." She'd paused, sighing deeply, before looking up at them again. "But I do believe we've strayed rather far from our subject. What was it that you wished to speak of?"

"Well," Max spoke, "it's actually got to do with our hunt."

The ghostly bug's eyes had widened slightly, as she said: "Oh, I certainly hope it went well, considering what decided to return with you."

"Don't worry, Vespa, we managed to avoid those aspids for the most part," the female had affirmed, beaming. "And the hunt itself was successful as well, for us both even." She'd then sent a short glance at the hornet, her expression becoming more solemn.  
"However, when Max was facing his prey, _something_ happened with him. The creature struggled back and- and in response he charged and furiously slaughtered it in an absolutely _beastly_ fashion." She had paused, catching her breath. "Have you any clue what it could've been? I- _we're_ worried that it's something serious."

Max had nodded silently, as the concern on the Hiveling's face had grown even stronger. "Oh my. I am not quite sure of that, but-," she'd said, before looking at him. "Max, would you mind telling me exactly what happened?"

"It's no problem. I want answers too," the hornet had replied, sighing. "After Hornet'd chased my boofly to slam into the ground beside me, I went for the kill. But then it started flailing and kicking and it knocked me down hard. And I really don't know why, but that made me _enraged_ at it, even more when the damned thing tried to get away. So I charged and just slashed until it was dead. Only noticed how much damage I'd done after the rush had gone." Max had paused, shooting a glance at his friend. "I- It even scared _Hornet_."

When he'd looked back, the concern in Vespa's gaze had been joined by surprise. "Is this true, Hornet?"

"I- no-," the warrior had tried to protest, before stopping and sullenly admitting: "Yes, yes it did. Just the way he blindly pounded that boofly with his nail, it almost reminded me of the gardens' Mantises." Her tone had become pleading. "Please, Vespa, let us know if you know what this may have been. Could it happen again?"

"Hmm. I do not believe you should fear that for now," the spectral queen had replied, her tone becoming a bit lighter, "however, what you did is still quite surprising, Max."

The hornet's eyes had widened. "Huh? You know what it is," he'd asked, getting a definite nod from the Hiveling.

"Indeed, I do, although not very closely," she'd spoken, before explaining: "What you experienced was one of the hornet tribe's, let us say, less'appealing' attributes. To my knowledge, it was one of their oldest survival tactics, originating a time where most bugs we'd call 'civilized' today were only slightly above common beasts. Ever militant as they were, our cousins could enter into states of pure rage and ferocity when a battle or hunt was not going in their favor. That is what I believe happened to you as well, Max."

There'd been a pause, as Max had nodded, the picture slightly clearer to him. "Okay, I think I understand," he'd then said, "but why'd it spring up in me. I didn't even know about it, just got hit really hard."

"Of that, I am sadly not certain," Vespa had responded. "From what I've managed to gather of it, the hornets still had to allow this rage to manifest. I can only imagine that what you experienced could have been something other adolescents of your tribe had to go through. If that is the case, then it should hopefully not happen again."

She'd smiled warmly at the hornet, as he'd looked back at her in surprise, realization slowly starting to settle in. "So It's not going to, uh, 'manifest anymore." A smirk had slowly creeped onto his face and he had glanced back at Hornet, who'd also looked relieved.

"Let us hope, yes," the monarch had affirmed, her tone becoming slightly more serious, "unless you learn a way to allow it, if you so wish."

"He _won't_," the warrior had suddenly spoken up, her voice raised. "Max, please, you know what this _rush_ made you like. It isn't something we'd need."

The hornet had looked at his friend, feeling weirdly torn for a moment, before her pleading expression had quickly made up his mind. "Of course. I promised you, didn't I," he'd stated, smirking.

Hornet's eyes had widened, pink appearing under them. "Well, it wasn't exactly _that_," she had said, the surprise becoming that nice content smile again, "though I'm glad you understand."

She'd then faced the Hiveling. "This probably won't be enough, but thank you, Vespa, for the relief."

"It shall and you both are very welcome," the spirit had happily replied. "But I think it was best if you got going soon now. Time is only getting shorter and some of my soldiers are already wondering when you're coming."

The sudden realization had hit the young bugs, as they'd quickly shot into the corridor entrance. Before leaving, however, both had turned back at the queen, saying their goodbyes, in addition to thanking her again.

"Again, you're welcome. Goodbye," Vespa'd called, before saying: "And the best of luck as well. What you'll be doing now still shan't be the easiest. Please, give it your all. I want you to return safe."

"We shall. _I'll_ make sure of it," Hornet had confidently replied, to which the male had smiled.

A moment later, the two had finally exited the royal hall proper.

* * *

Once again heading down the familiar and busy corridors with his friend, Max felt relieved that he was okay. Even though the queen hadn't entirely been sure of what she'd told them, something in his mind suggested that it was indeed so. However ferocious his rage had been, other hornets his age had probably gone through something similar. Though hopefully only once. From his kind or not, it'd still been savage enough to scare Hornet.

Max shot a look towards the female, his face warm. That was something he didn't ever want to do again.

He also hoped they wouldn't be late. Their pace was still a walk and if the Hivelings were already waiting, then the 'thirty' the General had given them would definitely be over soon. Thankfully, the hallway they were in was already pretty close to the western hall. They only had a little more to go. Only a little more until their attack against the Pale King.

And the hornet couldn't help feeling confident. After all, everyone else seemed to be, even Hornet. Despite that, he understood it wasn't going to be easy either, mainly for him. The king and his palace were definitely going to be guarded, perhaps even by the metallic white things. Whatever plan the General had, he hoped it would go well. It _had_ to, so Hornet and he could give _him_ what he deserved, set things right.

Seeing a bit more light ahead, Max looked over the flying workers to see the entrance to the Hive's border hall. They were almost there. He looked at his friend again, noticing she seemed a bit distant. Smirking, he softly nudged her side, to which the warrior glanced back, before coming to a stop.

"Hey, is something wrong," the hornet asked, surprised, halting his step as well.

The female shook her head. "No, nothing serious," she replied with a small sigh, looking ahead. "I- I simply fell back to thinking of what's to come _after_ our victory."

"Oh, that," Max muttered. Hunting and the things after it had almost made him forgot about the harsh responsibility, which the warrior was going to have to deal with. He did feel very sorry for her, hoping he'd be able to help, but this really wasn't the best time anymore. "Right now, though?"

"I know. I should've kept myself from doing so," Hornet said with a guilty look. "And there's no point to it anyway. We've nearly reached the hyu-man."

"Yeah," the male agreed, "so please try to push those thoughts back. We kinda _have _to go."

The warrior nodded, sighing again. "You're right. We can't leave _him_ undefeated." She turned back towards the lit end of the corridor, shaking herself. "No matter the responsibility _I'll_ be handed."

* * *

Getting back to their earlier pace, the two finally made their way into the spacious hall. Besides the workers' usual commotion, Max could immediately spot the large gathering of larger Hivelings right next to the raised ledge leading to the exit. While most of the soldiers hovered idly, a few were moving their heads around, seemingly looking for something, whom the hornet was pretty sure he knew was.

He was about to raise his hand, before one of the stocky bugs already spotted them, her feelers standing up alert. She quickly turned around, saying something, and a moment later, General Juss appeared on the ledge, unmasked. Instead of shouting anything, the human raised his hand, motioning for the two hunters to come up.

Approaching the familiar rough slope, Hornet looked towards Max, smiling uneasily, to which he responded with a reassuring smirk.

Just like yesterday, the climb didn't take very long for the two and they soon reached the ledge, pulling themselves up. Getting to his feet, the hornet was met with the human, his arms folded, as he sternly glared at them.

"I take it you two have your things sorted out," he spoke. "You were _almost_ late."

"Yeah, Sir, I'm pretty sure we do," Max replied, nodding "Though sorry for taking so long."

"Calm down, boy, I said you _almost_ didn't make it," the General stated, before turning his gaze towards the warrior. "I trust you are set as well, Hornet?"

"For _this_, without a doubt," the female affirmed, her voice having gained new confidence. "Still, I think I'd prefer if we just got it over with. When shall we be heading off, hyu-man?

"I'm quite sure we all would," the human agreed. "And we _are_ moving out fairly soon." He faced the hornet again, a minuscule smirk visible. "However, I believe _they_ deserve some time to speak to you before that." He motioned towards the tunnel behind him with a shoulder. "Try to keep it short, though."

Max's eyes widened, as he finally caught the nearby scent of family, long overdue for a predator like him. A moment later, Juss moved to the side, letting him clearly see his uncle leaning against the wax tunnel wall further in and looking towards them, smiling. However, the human wasn't alone, as nested on top of his head was a familiar ribbon-wearing worker.

"Hey, kid, thought you were getting away without saying goodbye again," Adrian loudly asked, waving for him to come closer, which the hornet definitely wasn't going to refuse.

He quickly walked next to the two, saying: "Nah, I didn't expect you'd drag yourself up here just for this, uncle."

"Well, why wouldn't I," Adrian replied, raising an eyebrow. "Max, even I know how important this attack's going to be, dangerous too. I want to support you and Hornet, understand?" Max nodded, as the human's smile grew again. "Besides," he chuckled, glancing at the ledge, "getting up here is one hell of a workout. And look who I even met here." He pointed at the Hiveling sitting above, who raised a foreleg to wave.

"I figured it would only be proper to send my friends and sisters off," she spoke, hovering closer to him "and to wish you all good luck."

"Heh, thanks," the hornet said, getting a happy smile from the round bug.

"I'd like to thank you as well, Apisia," Hornet's voice suddenly added. Looking aside, Max saw her coming over, stopping right beside him. "Although I do hope there won't be much need for your talents today," she spoke, to which the healer nodded, her happy expression falling off a bit.

"And how are you, Hornet," the human asked with clear sympathy in his voice, looking towards the warrior. "You doing okay?"

"Yes, Adrian, I'm feeling well," she replied firmly, a small smile visible on her face "And I am sure our attack will be beyond decisive."

"That's great," Max's uncle spoke, "I'm sure you'll do amazing out there." He then leaned slightly closer to her, gaining a bit of a frown. "Though I'd like if you made sure Max stayed safe. His handling of that, uh, _nail_ is still a bit reckless and I know it could get heated for you three."

"Hey," the hornet in question called out, indignant, "I take care of myself pretty well already."

"Of course I shall, he's my _friend_," his friend replied. She looked towards him with a friendly smirk. "Besides, Max, you've only been on a single hunt. Your skills are _still_ far from refined. I'll be at your side, ready to lend a hand."

Despite how patronizing it felt, Max couldn't help, but smile back at her, his face a bit flushed "And I'll make sure to do the same for you, Hornet," he then countered, hoping the blush was faint. The female's eyes widened, as did her grin. She gave a confident nod, which the hornet mirrored, to the amusement of Adrian, who let out another chuckle.

"Well, it seems you four have run out of things to say," the General suddenly spoke from the ledge, immediately drawing both young bug's attention. "Hornet, Max, time's up. Get back over here."

As his friend turned around and went, Max shot Adrian a slightly sorry look.

"Don't you worry," his uncle replied, "we'll talk later. Now go, save the world." The hornet nodded, before also heading back out of the shaded tunnel.

He stopped in front of the human, who then said: "Everything's in order. Now I'm simply going to rally the Hivelings and we'll be ready to take our leave."

"If I may, hyu-man," Hornet spoke up, "you've actually yet to tell _us_ of your plan." This made Max's expression become questioning as well. His friend was right. They _were_ in the dark about that.

"I shall brief you on the finer details on the way," the General replied. "For now, simply know that you'll be with me. _Now_-" He turned around to face the Hive soldiers hovering around the ledge, his voice much louder "-I require that all of you direct your attention to me." The large Hivelings did as ordered, as Max and his friend listened as well.

Apparently satisfied, Juss then unsheathed his nai- _sword_, placing its tip on the ground. "Very well," he began, keeping the loud tone. "My dear friends and allies of the Hive. As you've probably understood, today marks an important occasion for all of us, bug and human. Only mere days ago, your tribe was reawakened from ages long sleep and given a future again. Now, you are being called to defend it for all of Hallownest!"

The General paused for a moment.

"The Pale King has used the weakness left by the Infection to force his new rule on the other tribes, with yours no doubt in danger as well. His constructs have even attacked my kind's land on the surface. However, his power is yet to fully regrow and he is still vulnerable. That gives us opportunity and we shall make use of it. Your sisters have taught you the plan already, now we put it to work. We are going to put an end to his conquest!"

He raised his sword in the air, shouting: "For peace and a better tomorrow! Forwards!" This was met with excited buzzing from the soldiers and even some workers who'd stopped to listen. Max himself thought the speech had been a bit sappy, but smiled along, since even Hornet looked motivated. The human placed his weapon back in its sheath, before turning around and looking at the young bugs.

"I'm in front. You two, behind me," he coolly ordered, before adding with a little more emotion: "Let's go get this over with." He pushed past the two, starting to head towards the exit.

The warrior and hornet quickly turned to follow, accompanied by the low buzzing of the Hivelings behind them. They passed Adrian and Apisia, who both raised their respective forelimbs. Max smiled, waving back for a few moments, then looking forwards again, taking deep breaths. Here they went.

As the yellow light from the Hive started to dim, he decided to glance towards his friend, only to find her staring back at him with an uncertain, yet hopeful expression. Despite feeling along the same lines, the hornet gave a confident smirk, which managed to get the same out of her. They nodded at each other in unison again, before the male was forced to turn his attention back in front of him. They were almost out and the ground had become rocky.

However, some of his thoughts remained with Hornet, the admirationhe felt for her not leaving him alone. Making her confident made him happy, almost too much so. Thankfully, the cold air already reaching his face helped with that a bit. He'd promised himself he'd find a good way to deal with these feelings when things had calmed down and he was gonna stick by it. Especially, since it seemed those things would calm down pretty soon.

So, shaking his head, the hornet brought himself to fully focus on the dark cave up ahead, his eyes quickly adjusting. After all, they really did have to get this over and done with. Even if this battle would be tough, stopping that _monster_ was going to be worth it.

* * *

**JUSS**

* * *

Lembit walked out of the tunnel, stopping to take a breath of the surrounding fresh air. He unlatched his mask and put it on, its night vision activating in an instant. There wouldn't've been a real need for it were he alone, but he figured going without would have alarmed the others. The human looked around the now green-tinted cavern, before continuing further into it, this time following the path that lead towards the entrance of this Ancient Basin, down in which stood their foe's palace.

The higher being in question had continued keeping his presence completely _hidden _the entire night and morning, as the human still couldn't feel the slightest hint of it, even when he'd tried reaching out again. While the Pale King could've simply been scared of the military that he hoped was getting close above, Lembit worried that he had been discovered, or at least the traces he'd left when rushing to the White Lady yesterday. Damn perfectionist.

Fortunately, even if it was true, it didn't really matter anymore, as their assault was already in motion.

It was time to put an end to his little Pale War.

Keeping a firm pace forward, the General then shot a quick glance back at his two young companions, who were closely following behind. Knowing it was covered by the mask, he allowed himself a smile. Both of them looked much better than yesterday night, Hornet especially. It was clear that the hunt had been a good idea, having given her the time and place to rebuild confidence and Max a proper opportunity for a first kill. Unexpected method aside, it'd proved him just a little more capable, even if it had also alarmed his uncle. It was just another thing Adrian had to get used to.

Pushing the warmer feelings aside, he leaped across the wide gaps in the road, hearing the princess and hornet jump as well. There was no real reason to be discreet or stealthy with their advance yet, considering the size of their group and most of its members. As dismissive as it might've sounded, the Hivelings were going to make very good distractions. Even if an unlucky guard stumbled upon them, he'd have quickly been taken care of.

However, it seemed no poor sentry patrol would lose their life just yet. The group made its way through a narrower passage, passing into the next cavern, which was also vacant. Glancing around, Lembit immediately saw the wide metal platform bearing Hallownest's signature style of engraving and sharp tips, which he figured must've been the 'tram stop' the Hiveling tacticians had told him about, though there was no vehicle currently present. The soldier wordlessly pointed it out to his companions, before quickly heading for it himself.

Stopping on the platform, the human noted the flat, artificial-looking lower area it extended over, then looked up to see a single long metal rail lead forward from beside the stop to the carved back wall of the cave, which had a suspicious gap running down the middle. That hadn't been mentioned to him. He turned around just as the last few Hiveling soldiers squeezed themselves through the passage. Hornet and Max stood at the edge of the drop, looking at him, as the latter seemed to whisper something that neither Lembit nor his mask managed to pick up.

There wasn't silence for long, as he then spoke, voice garbled by the mask like usual: "Hornet, come here." The young warrior's eyes widened attentively at that, as she too stepped onto the platform.

"Yes, what is it," she asked, her thin weapon swaying idly.

"Do you know how we're to open that," the General replied with another question, pointing at the large circular piece of the wall where the monorail led to. It was obviously a gate. "I'm sorry, but this wasn't something I was told we'd have to deal with."

"What?" Hornet's eyes narrowed. "Oh, the tramgate," she spoke, glancing towards the closed tunnel. "I do not know of their inner workings, but they only open when a tram is in motion. I imagine any control must occur from there."

"Hmm, so you know no other way," Lembit said, glaring at the 'tramgate' himself. This could've been a problem. There didn't seem to be any other passages from this station cave either, or at least any wide enough for their bigger allies to get through.

"Indeed, unfortunately" the bug stated coolly, looking at him, before her tone became slightly demanding. "In truth, hyu-man, I would prefer if you spoke to us of the plan for our our approach now." She shot a short glance towards Max. "I believe we both would."

"Yeah, uh, Sir, that'd actually be nice," the hornet agreed.

He sighed. They had the right and there was no reason to postpone it anyway. Still, Hornet seemed to have forgotten her true age again. "Very well, we'll discuss here," he agreed with a strict voice, staring down at the warrior with his arms crossed, "though I'd _also_ prefer if you were mindful of how you spoke to me,Hornet."

Despite being covered, his stare still appeared to work, as the warrior girl's eyes widened again with what he figured was realization. "Certainly, hyu-man. I apologize," she hastily said, though not without mild annoyance in her voice, which got a hidden smirk out Lembit. Dominance had been asserted once again.

"Very well, let's make this quick, then," he said, waving at Max to come closer. The hornet quickly obeyed, walking onto the platform as well, looking towards him. The human shot a glance at the Hivelings, assuring: "You all know this, you don't have to listen." He then faced his younger companions again, arms still crossed.

"My- _our_ plan, as it was, was to make it to the Ancient Basin together. Once there, we'd split into two groups. The majority of the Hivelings would enter the Palace Grounds through the main corridors and cause a diversion at the gate." He paused shortly. "Us three would enter the Grounds through a smaller passage above the chasm, where we'd be flown in unnoticed by a soldier. It'd have been that simple."

Lembit huffed, glaring at the closed tunnel. "However, _this_ is in our way now," he then added irately, scanning it over and considering their options. He may've actually been able to strong-arm the gate, but that would've meant prematurely revealing some _things_ his little platoon had no reason to know about yet.

"Yeah, probably can't open that," Max spoke up, "but there's still the small tunnel, we could try using that somehow." At that, the General's eyes widened, as he turned towards him.

"What tunnel," he asked.

"Over there, Hornet called it some kinda maintenance tunnel," the changed boy replied, pointing beneath the carved gate, where the man started making out a darker area. "It was just big enough for the two of us, though maybe you too, Sir."

Lembit muttered something akin a 'thanks', his eyes narrowed at the spot, where he could start making out the opening. For a moment, he blamed himself for missing something like this, then shifted it to his mask's NV. Though the model gave clearer view than most other military goggles, there was still a little bit of unavoidable fuzziness. Yeah, that must've been the reason.

Still, the rough-looking tunnel did look big enough for him to get through. And that opened another possibility.

"Max, that is a _damn_ good idea," he said, looking back at the two hunters. "We could get through there-"

"-And open the bigger gate if the tram's on the other side," the hornet excitedly finished, which he decided not to reprimand. He caught on quick, that wasn't bad.

"It most likely shall be, Max. The Pale King had to return from his deed in some manner," Hornet added in a sullen tone, probably frowning. She went to the far edge of the platform, glancing back. "So, shall we go?"

"Yes, I'll join you right away," the General replied, facing the hovering soldiers and loudly saying: "This will most likely take some time. You will have to wait there." The Hivelings nodded silently, prompting him to strictly add: "And while we're gone, I want one of you to let your sisters know that I'm not happy about not knowing of _this_." He pointed at the tunnel gate, as the round bugs looked guilty, a few nodding again.

Satisfied, Lembit turned away, before dropping down onto the flat ground below, where Max and Hornet were already waiting. The trio headed straight for the small passage in the wall.

The General stopped in front of it. "I'm going first. Hornet, you're in the back. Be careful with your blade" he ordered, getting nods from both young bugs, though with an audible huff of annoyance from the warrior. Ignoring it, he squeezed himself into the rough opening, then moved a bit further in, letting the hornet and warrior princess enter as well. After a moment, they began heading down the tunnel.

* * *

Going forward, Lembit kept one hand against the rock, while holding the other near his holster, since there was definitely not enough space to draw the sword. Their overall pace wasn't very quick. He had to walk carefully, taking care not to stumble on the claustrophobic cave's extremely rough floor and walls, which almost made it appear natural, bringing back some memories, most of them not very good.

It didn't sound easy for his companions either. While Hornet seemed to have less of a problem staying on her feet, obviously thanks to her trained step, the same couldn't be said for Max, who was staggering an almost dangerous amount.

"Crawling through here's much harder when you're boxed in like this," the young hornet uneasily commented, audibly skipping over a jagged spot on the ground.

"It is simply another thing to practice, Max. Stay strong" the warrior encouraged from the back, before _interestingly_ adding: "I believe in you."

"Alright, Hornet, I'll try," Max replied, his voice suddenly firmer. If what Lembit still _suspected_ was true, it was even slightly adorable. However, it also didn't fit the situation.

"Please try to focus less on chatter and more on moving forward," he spoke sternly, glaring at them for a moment, which got the required effect.

Their journey through the tunnel continued for some time. Nobody said anything else, though all three were starting to huff for breath, Lembit doing his best to conceal it. Thankfully, he soon noticed a bit of light, which shone in the middle of the darkness and was getting larger. The slight draft on his neck was also a good sign.

And he wasn't the only one to see, as Hornet then spoke up: "There is light up ahead. We'll be out soon"

"Ugh, yes, finally," Max said, sounding relieved, "that's one annoying crawl over."

"Not quite yet, we've still a section of the tunnel to cover," the General reminded, to which he heard a disappointed groan. "Calm down, boy. From what you told, you two came through here just fine yesterday."

"Yeah, it didn't feel _this_ long then, though," the hornet replied. "I guess we were still excited to be outside."

"Uh, we were indeed. Although that changed quite fast, didn't it," Hornet spoke with slight sulk, as an equally sullen agreeing hum was heard from the male, along with the short shuffle of a nod.

They fell silent again. However, it didn't last very long anymore, since not even a minute later, Lembit could fully see the tunnel's exit hole. Moments later, his companions sighted it as well, both audibly sighing with relief. They probably shouldn't've, considering it was only going to get harder from there.

Finally reaching the opening, they came to a stop, as the General looked out into the lit cave, his night vision shutting off. He took note of the surrounding rocky ground, before focusing on the larger platform ahead, at the side of which hung what must've been the tram. He could also see a guard wielding a long spear beside it.

"What do you see, hyu-man," the warrior asked. "Is the tram here?"

"Positive," the human replied militaristically, "but there's also at least one sentry on the platform. We'll have to sneak up."

"That shouldn't be hard," said Max. "There was a lot to use as cover. Let's go."

The soldier nodded, though the overconfidence irked him a bit. "Understood," he spoke, glancing back and bringing his tone down. "So stay quiet and focus. Now follow me."

Not waiting for an answer, he slipped out of the tunnel. Keeping his head down, he quickly made it for a nearby wide rock, crouching behind it, as the young warriors joined him. The human peeked over the stone and towards the raised metal floor, where the enemy bug was facing directly away from them, idly leaning on his lance.

A short look at his companions got firm, ready nods, prompting him to begin leading their silent way closer. A couple of rocks later, the trio reached the platform's side. The sentry was standing quite close, though not dangerously near. The hornet sent a questioning look, nudging towards the oblivious bug above. The soldier responded by sliding a finger across his neck, to which the boy gave a much more hesitant nod.

"Hyu-man, are you certain there is only one sentry," Hornet then asked in a low whisper, her eyes warily pointed upwards, which made the General's widen slightly behind the mask. He shook his head, before carefully peeking over the edge. The warrior had been rightfully cautious, as he spotted another guard beside the gleaming fence.

The human crouched down and looked at her again, nodding and bringing up two fingers. "We'll need to kill both," he spoke just as quietly.

"Understood. I shall strike when you do," the bug girl confidently replied, starting to turn around. However, Lembit had gotten a different idea.

"No," he said almost too loudly, making Hornet stop and glance back, confused. "Max will do it," he continued darkly, looking towards the surprised hornet, who raised a claw-finger to protest. "You _will_. That's an order." The kid may've gotten a kill during the hunt, but it hadn't fully been him in control. Here, he would.

Max gave another small nod, then turned and snuck past Hornet to the platform corner. "Get into a good position. Attack when I do, okay," the soldier spoke, his tone a bit lighter. The boy glanced back at him and the warrior for a moment, before going out of their view, leaving the latter looking at the human with what he guessed was an irate look.

"You _know_ he needs to," he whispered harshly, to which she huffed, giving an annoyed nod.

Facing away from her with a sigh, Lembit then rose and began slowly approaching where the closest guard stood, bringing out his knife. He got below the bug and peeked up onto the platform. The other sentry didn't look very alert either, also leaning onto his weapon and lazily glancing around, unaware of the white horns sticking out of the edge behind him. Max looked to be in position.

The General carefully raised his free hand, making the 'okay' symbol. A few moments later, the hornet responded with a clear, but slightly shaky thumb up. They were set.

Without wasting any more time, the human gripped his blade even harder and used the other arm to pull himself up to the platform, pushing the sentry, who let out a surprised and angry yelp. Not allowing him a chance to recover, he firmly grabbed the enemy's waist, before quickly bringing the knife up to the neck. However strong his shell was, it was a clean slice through.

As dark orange stained his gloves, Lembit suddenly heard struggling come from Max and the other guard. He dropped the limp bug and flipped his blade, ready to throw it just in case. Just as he looked ahead, however, the hornet thrust his nail forward. Straight through the sentry's midsection. He stood stiff for a moment, before slumping over, dead.

Breathing heavily, Max pulled his nail out of the body and rested it against the floor. "Wow. I- I did it," he said, looking back at Lembit, as Hornet too climbed onto the platform beside him.

"Well done, Max," she called happily, approaching him, "that was a fair kill." She paused, her tone gaining a bit of concern. "Th- Though that _was_ really _you_, wasn't it?"

"Ye- Yeah, Hornet, fully me," the hornet replied, scratching the back his head. "Thanks."

"Good, good," the human commended, quite proud himself, "you were yourself. Though try to be a bit less _messy _with stealthin the future." At that, the boy glanced down at the bloodied, curled up guard on the floor, then at his stained nail.

"Okay, I'll try that," he agreed, before looking towards the tram. "So, we open the gate now, right?"

"Well, what else did we come ahead for," the General asked back, starting towards it, his companions following.

The three stepped into the ornate vehicle. As Max and Hornet curiously looked around, Lembit quickly focused on the control panel at the tram's front end. He walked up to the 'console', eyeing the various buttons on it. The thing looked surprisingly advanced for what he'd seen of the bugs this far.

Still, he needed to be careful with it, since the wrong button would've made the actual tram move and none of them seemed to have any indication of what they were for, save for the largest, which was glowing brightly. Not wanting to risk it, however, the General instead decided to try the two smaller ones beside it. Gut instinct was impractical, but sometimes needed.

"Come over here, you two," he called, glancing at the hornet and warrior, who quickly approached.

"What is it, hyu-man," Hornet asked, sending a glance at the panel. "Is something the matter with the tram machinery?"

"Yeah, you know how to work this thing, don't you," Max added.

"I do hope so," Lembit replied, "but we'll just have to see about that. I want you to look ahead, though be ready to get out if something goes wrong."

The two bugs nodded firmly, to which he pressed down on both buttons. Almost immediately, a low rumble became audible, as the three peered through the front window, all a bit on edge. A moment later, they saw as the large gates ahead start to slide open, while the tram stayed in place.

They stood silent for a few seconds, looking at the passage. "It worked," Max then deadpanned, though with clear relief in his voice. "Nice."

"At least partly, yes," the human agreed, as the rumbling died down. "Let's see if on the other gate as well."

"It did," Hornet said, "look." She pointed at the dark tunnel, where Lembit could indeed catch the round flying figures of Hivelings already emerging.

"Well," he stated, "let's carry on, then."

* * *

The smaller party exited the tram just as the first Hive soldiers reached the platform. The big striped bugs waved (perhaps a bit too) excitedly at Lembit and his companions, receiving a much calmer one from the human. After all of them had caught up, the small platoon set course for the trap door leading to the Ancient Basin. They quickly gathered around the wide, decorated opening, gazing down into the black-stoned cavern.

"Everyone, stay behind me until we reach the bottom, alright? There may still be surprises," the human ordered loudly, getting agreeing murmurs from the Hivelings. He glanced at his two charges, who looked back with what was definitely confidence, before dropping onto the dark ground below. He then started climbing further down into the multi-leveled cave, the others following from above.

It was darker here, though not enough for his mask to turn on again. Despite it, the distant howl of the wind, along with the cave's strange looking dark rock created a tone of eeriness. The stone had clearly not formed naturally, though it didn't _feel_ like the king either, but something _much_ older. Thankfully, it at least seemed there weren't any more of the former's sentries around.

Lucky them.

After a bit more of steep descent, the human reached the bottom 'floor' of the cave, with the passage to the Palace Grounds' main entrance visible ahead. Moments later, he was joined by the kids, one of them visibly more winded than the other.

"Whew," Max breathed, leaning on the wall. "Hornet, you really dragged us both up _that_?"

"Indeed," the warrior answered. "I needed to bring you to the Hive somehow."

"Heh, then it's just another thing I've to be grateful to you for," the boy spoke back. "Thanks."

"Please, Max, you mustn't," the other bug replied, "If I hadn't we would've both been killed." The hornet started to say something else, before being stopped by Lembit.

"And yet here you both are again, well and ready," he said in a serious tone, "so leave the reminiscing for later and focus." He faced the soldiers hovering above them. "We're splitting up now. Most of you know your role. Just remember to wait until _we're_ in position, am I clear?" The Hivelings nodded in unison, looking properly serious.

"Good," the General said, before motioning to the largest in the crowd. "Now, you were to fly us to the palace. Stinger, was it?" Max let out a quiet chuckle, swiftly silenced by a soft jab from Hornet.

"Yes, is my name," the chubby bug growled.

"Well met," the human continued. "Ladies, _gentlebug_," he sent a masked glare at the hornet, "let's go finish this mess."

While the majority of Hivelings flew to the passage, the group of four climbed back up. As was planned, however, they ascended only for a short distance, before heading towards a passage slightly off the Basin's main 'road'. Their newest companion buzzed through first, fortunately able to squeeze herself through the narrower space, followed by the rest of the squad. The tunnel wasn't long, its brightly lit other end visible from the entrance.

Not soon after, they had already reached it. Stinger flew out of the way, revealing the overhang outside. Max exited next, hastily stepping onto the ledge, prompting Hornet to do the same. Smirking, the General walked after them, stopping behind the young warriors, who'd quickly come to a halt, audibly gasping. Even Lembit's eyes widened, as he quickly slid his mask off to get a clearer view of the palace ahead. The sketches hadn't done the glowing structure justice, it was absolutely massive.

Nonetheless, they hadn't come simply to sightsee. The human put his mask back on and looked down to see the soldiers hovering low at the front of the wide bridge, one of them looking up at him with her foreleg raised, ready to take the order. He sighed, before waving back, making the entire force of Hivelings liven up. Buzzing angrily, they flew towards the palace gate.

The attack had begun. It was time to get this son of a bitch.

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

Although the ledge was quite high up, the sight of the White Palace was still imposing, especially now that it seemed to gleam even brighter than it had when she'd last seen it. Despite that, Hornet forced herself to shake away the awe. There was a false god inside of that palace, one that needed to meet its end, regardless of the pain she'd face from it.

"Max," she spoke, giving her friend a light nudge in the side and bringing him out of his stupor as well.

"Ye- Yes," the hornet replied, looking back, "I'm here." He glanced at the palace, nervously saying: "It's still so big, though."

"I know, but that shan't stop us," the warrior encouraged. "We'll find him and _kill_ him."

"Yeah, together," Max said, smiling at her and essentially forcing her to reply with the same, although she didn't mind at all. "Now, when's that diversion gonna start, Sir?"

"It already has," the hyu-man's distorted voice said from behind them, "take a look at the gate and prepare yourselves. We'll be up next."

Just as he'd said it, the sounds of battle finally reached Hornet, causing her to gaze down at the palace's entrance, where, indeed, the swarm of Hivelings were fiercely engaged with the king's white constructs, more of whom were already coming to reinforce.

"It doesn't seem like they'll be a match for these _monsters_ for long," she said, looking back at her companions. "We should hurry."

"Right beside you," Max agreed, "so how exactly do we fly across." The three ground-bound warriors turned towards Stinger (whose name was definitely _not_ funny), who had huddled beside the ledge to remain out of sight.

"Like said, I carry you across," the Hiveling growled in her deep tone, before pointing at Hornet and Max. "You two, I will take on my back. Human, you, I carry under." She raised her forelegs.

"Perfectly understood," _Yuss _replied, his voice a tad hesitant. "Well, let's get on. Or under, rather."

The large Hive soldier nodded, before moving slightly lower, allowing the warrior and her friend to mount her backside, the latter doing so much more uneasily.

"You sure you'll be able to carry all of us," the latter asked beside Hornet, grasping onto the brown mane.

"I'm not weak, hatchling," Stinger replied shortly, leaning slightly forward. She rose up to take hold of the hyu-man. Moments later, she took off.

Although she had no doubt of the Hiveling's strength, Hornet still felt the need to remind herself _not _to look down, since even the palace's light wasn't a match for the Abyss below. She couldn't have imagined how the General was faring. About halfway to the looming white wall, she noticed a slight tremble in her friend's hand, which she sought to fix by grasping it with her own.

A fairly short time later, Stinger finally came to halt, hovering at the palace's glowing side. Not waiting by for an order, Max and Hornet both leaped off her, latching onto the gleaming wall. Looking down, the warrior saw the General do the same.

"How do you mean us to enter the palace, hyu-man," she called to him.

"Through a window, of course," the soldier loudly replied, pointing at what she saw was an opening. Having shown it to the hornet, they began climbing towards it.

The warrior and her friend soon reached the unconventional entrance, before quickly being joined from below by _Yuss_. He struck at the glass, causing it to shatter instantly. Not letting herself be surprised for long, Hornet swung herself into the opening, followed by Max. The two then looked back out.

"Human, cousin, friend Hornet," Stinger addressed them from the air, "I'm sorry, but sisters call for help. I must leave you."

"Don't you worry," the hyu-man shouted back, while heaving himself in as well. "We'll be fine. Go." The Hiveling nodded, before flying out of view.

The small pack glanced at each other, before turning to face the unbearably pristine, yet thankfully empty hallway, starting along it. Hornet breathed deeply, once again preparing her mind for the battle ahead.

All of a sudden, it started to throb, as it felt as if someone was _intruding_ within.

* * *

**THE PALE KING**

* * *

Although He had prepared for, even anticipated an assault, He knew not what to make of _this_. To His great surprise, a woefully small group of Hivelings had suddenly come to battle the Kingsmoulds at the palace gates, both confusing _and_ alarming Him.

Now, the frontal attack's purpose had become clear, for another, even smaller pack of only three had entered his great residence. Its nature, however, was also unexpected. Foremost, the small empty spot in his awareness could've been created by none other than the vile hornet, who, regrettably, was accompanied by his own daughter.

She would have made such a powerful knight to lead his forces' advance.

The third presence, strangely enough, belonged to what seemed like a common human from above, although He could feel something seeming the slightest bit _off_ about them. Among them, the energy of the imposter he had expected so was nowhere to be felt. Still, it was abundantly clear that they had come for Him.

_He_ would greet them accordingly. Then, finally let part of Him be seen and use it to swiftly guide His assailants to a proper confrontation. Whatever advantage they had hoped to gain from entering unseen was forfeit regardless. Firstly, however, he gave the Kingsmoulds the order to have his retainers flee. He'd have preferred not to lose them.

Then, He began with the human, not putting much thought into the 'greeting': "_Your godless race is destined to be reborn to my pale light_."

Towards the empty spot that was the corrupting barbarian, he fittingly yelled: "_Your vile, defiant kind will soon be destroyed with you_!"

And of Hornet, his part-mortal daughter, he asked: "_Why do you stand in the way of this kingdom's, of _my_ greatness_?"

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

"Because you deserve nothing more," the warrior hissed quietly, while the pain disappeared as quickly as it had come.

She looked up to see her companions also recovering from the assault on their minds. The hyu-man didn't seem too bothered (although his removable mask couldn't show any emotion), but the pain's effect on Max was apparent, as he groaned and leaned onto the warrior's shoulder, which she found herself gladly allowing.

"Wow, he _really_ hates me," the hornet uttered between breaths, implying whatever _he_ had said to him mustn't have been pleasant.

"He may, it doesn't matter that much anymore," the General replied with a strangely relaxed tone.

"He knows we're here now, though," Max continued worriedly, regaining his footing. "That's definitely bad, right?"

"But so do w-," the hyu-man began, before abruptly halting and, to Hornet's confusion, muttering: "No, that's not important. Look, we're in. Follow my lead and have your blades at the ready."

The male uttered something akin an 'okay' and drew his nail, as they silently continued on along the white corridor. Although the warrior took slight comfort in their numbers, she was still unsure of how they'd fair against its defenses. How long until the creatures pushed back the Hivelings at the gate and set their sights upon them?

Ugh, _no_. Hornet shook her head, clearing the unease. They were _strong _and _would_ destroy them. A short while after, the pack reached the end of the hallway, turning to another, which lead further into the palace. Moving past the wall murals and doors to smaller rooms, they were still met with no one, bug or otherwise.

That changed soon. As the three were coming to the doorway at the corridor's end, two tall, pale figures stepped through to barricade it. The constructs, each wielding a claw-blade, sent out loud chitters unlike any beast's Hornet had seen. Nonetheless, she lowered her stance and brought her needle ahead, her eyes narrowing.

"Stay back for this one, Max," she hissed to her friend.

"Got it. Go get them," the hornet hearteningly replied, to which she stepped forward, the hyu-man drawing his nail beside her.

In response, the constructs pointed their weapons towards the bug and creature, while also bringing their own postures defensively low.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait as well, Hornet," the General spoke up. "Things didn't end well the last time."

"You've no need to spoil me, hyu-man," the warrior replied, a tad annoyed. "My guard was off then, but no more. Let's _pierce_ them!"

Recognizing a nod from the General, she darted towards the metal beings, focused on the one to the left. It swiftly aligned the claw-blade to parry her from the front, exactly what she'd aimed for. Hornet leaped up against the wall, before dashing down at the construct. A late attempt to block was met with a slash, as she landed behind it, glancing back at the long, deep scratch she'd made into the metal.

Its effect on the construct was immediately felt and it quickly swung around to face her again, chittering angrily. A split second later, it slashed at the warrior, who hastily dodged it, alongside two other attacks right after. Fortunately, she then caught a slight opening between the blows, which let her land another powerful strike. This caused the metal creature to pull away into the corridor, allowing her a glimpse, as the General brought his greatnail down on the other.

Hornet brought her attention back to the front just as 'her' construct swung forwards again. Her needle shot up and she blocked it, before trying to dodge again. However, the monster followed up with more attacks, forcing her to block again. Then, there was another opening, which she went for without thought. In return, she was hit in the middle by a powerful kick, making her cry out and painfully fall on the floor.

The construct filled her sight and lifted its claw-blade up. Then it stopped, as if frozen. For a moment, Hornet felt confused, before hearing a familiar shout, as a nail suddenly cut through the gleaming 'neck', making the body crumble down and revealing the concerned face of Max.

"Hornet, are you okay," he asked, voice panicked, then offered a hand. "Come on, let me help you up."

Fighting an unexpected blush, the warrior smiled, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. "I- Thank you, Max," she said, as the shock fully faded, letting her inwardly chastise herself. If the construct hadn't simply stopped, her mistake would've had a great cost. Why had it done so?

As if reading her mind, Max then said: "Uh-huh, that looked close. Why'd it just stop?"

"These weren't meant to kill us, just 'welcome'," answered the General, who stood over another pile of metal. "They were much slower than the ones in Elsewhere. I think the king wants to confront _us_ himself."

"Then we shouldn't linger for long," Hornet spoke firmly. "Hyu-man, I may be wrong, but _you_ seem to have some way of knowing where he is. Please, use it. Let's find him, if heso wishes." Their companion nodded, sheathing his nail motioning for them to come with.

The hunting pack headed through the doorway to find themselves in a large hall, much like the one Hornet had looked over once before. Still, there were no servants to be seen, having likely fled from them. Following the hyu-man through it and into more forgettable corridors, they didn't come across any more constructs either.

* * *

They soon came upon an even bigger seeming hall, which, too, was empty of bugs, although there were a noticeable amount of discarded items over the wide floor. Reaching its middle, the surface dweller stopped, attentively looking around and muttering something. Then, he quickly began towards one of the dark side doors, Hornet and Max going as well, looking at each other in confusion.

Having reached the opening, the General whispered: I know this might look like a trap, but _things_ point to the king being in there."

"Wait, I- I remember this room," Max said, alarmed. "This is where I- where _we_ were taken when he-"

The hyu-man interjected: "Fitting, then. You meet him here, you end him here. Now, listen you two: When we go in, I'll say the official things first, then you'll be free to speak. Alright?"

"Understood," Hornet replied, despite not really understanding why any 'official' speech was needed. With a little waver in her voice, she added: "Let's go finish this."

Without further ado, they walked in. Not a moment after they'd entered, the opening behind them closed with a heavy slam. Her stance tense, the warrior eyed around the empty, dark room. She then saw a bright light beginning to emerge from its far end. Slowly, the Pale King stepped into sight, fully lighting the surrounding space. Their enemy stood there, as regal and imposing as ever, and extended his arms.

"_I welcome you, insolent ones, into my presence."_ His voice was like an overly loud whisper._ "I assure that all _this_ shall soon be over_."

"That it will," the hyu-man replied darkly, drawing his chest-weapon, his gun, before beginning in almost pure gibberish: "On behalf of the United Nations, of humanity, you, Pale King, are charged with war of conquest against the United States of America, forceful subjugation of its civilian populace and unlawful mass usage of transformative magic, among other grave violations. In light of these, I, General Lembit Juss, sentence you to _immediate_ executio-."

"_Quiet with_ _your senseless blabber, human,_" the higher being thundered. "You_ shall die or submit! As will you, daughter! Perhaps it is not too late to save you," _he pointed at her new needle, "_make you let go of the past."_

"That won't happen," Hornet angrily spoke back, "never on your terms! You will pay for what you did to me, for what you did to Max and his people!"

"_You have corrupted her with your chaos, hornet_," the king said, glaring at her friend, "_simply let yourself be rightfully killed._"

"No," the hornet furiously yelled, drawing his nail," I've never done anything to her, I'd _never_. _She_ saved me from _you_, after you came up and _fucked_ _everything _I had in my life so far!

"_All vile lies,_" the Wyrm brashly responded, "_you were hiding amongst the godless in a false form. I could _feel _it. But now, nothing will save you. You _will **die!**_"_

"No," _Yuss_ said shortly, "you." There was an unbearably high bang, as the gun fired, making the Pale King hunch in pain. "Take him down!"

Max glanced at Hornet. "You're left, I'm right." She nodded, as they sprang into action in unison, rushing towards the higher being. This was it. He would die now. She dashed at him, ready to pierce, before suddenly being blocked by a _familiar_ weapon. The king then pushed her back and, in the blink of an eye, moved to do the same to her friend, though with slightly more difficulty.

"_Unmannered," _he hissed, fully brandishing the Pure Nail.

"As are you," the halfling growled, swiftly approaching again, "that blade does _not_ belong to you."

"_I took part in the vessels' creation_," the king replied, bringing it up to clash with hers, "_what was theirs is now _mine!_"_

"You used it for _murder_," Hornet insisted angrily, as another of her attacks was blocked. Though killing was an unavoidable part of her way of life, she still understood murder as taking the life of one helpless to stop it. She wasn't clean of it either.

"_The White Lady's death was for reasons you cannot yet comprehend,"_ the Pale King yelled back, before a blast of bright energy flew out from him, knocking the warrior away again.

"_She tried to deny me. I will not be denied," _he finished deafeningly, as Hornet collected herself, the air around her suddenly bearing a strange scent.

"Deny _this_," her friend shouted, rushing up and unleashing a flurry of blows against the king, even making him step backwards. Finally, he managed to get a strike against the quick blocks, causing the Wyrm to roar. He slashed back, knocking the hornet off balance. Before he could land another, however, there was suddenly another high gun-bang, which made him stagger again, letting Max retreat.

Ignoring that, Hornet glanced aside to see the hyu-man nodding at her. She smirked back, then confidently darted forwards. As she clashed with him, he was hit with another shot, which made him appear even angrier. He quickly swung the nail her sibling had used for much nobler ends, once again leaving her little room for strikes of her own. Shortly after, he kicked at her, sending the warrior back, but thankfully not onto her backside like before.

"_I am becoming tired of this_," the higher being said, before being hit by two more consecutive shots. His gaze snapped to the General, accompanied by an unnaturally loud roar, as another pulse of white energy was unleashed, forcing the Hornet even further back.

"What's he doing? What's going on around us," Max cried from beside her, as she too noticed how the air had begun feeling even stranger.

"He's started to put more of his magic to use," the hyu-man explained from her other side, putting something in his gun. "It'll make him stronger, but not for long. A few more bursts like that and it'll all be out. He will tire out and let us end it. But we just have to last until then." He used his other arm to draw the greatnail. "So, let's get up close again."

"Very well," Hornet smirked confidently, recovered. She'd survived things just as bad.

"_Come forth, then,_" the Pale King taunted, waving his free hand.

All of a sudden, the walls of the battle room crashed open, as two spinning greatnails shot through, right for them.

"Duck," Max yelled, to which the three hastily dashed down and forwards, the blades passing over their heads, before halting in midair. The warrior looked ahead, fully angry once more. She uttered an indecency and rushed at the higher being, flanked by her companions.

As Max went for a wide swing from the side, she moved for quick, agile strikes. Moving impossibly fast, the Pale King still managed to parry most of her attacks, his counter blows now seeming even stronger. However, he was then taken off guard by the General, who managed three worthy hits with the greatnail. In response, the Wyrm jabbed his free hand at him, from which came a bright blast that forced him back. Right after, he turned to fight off Max, all while seemingly paying no mind to the slashes landed by Hornet.

The young male pushed away, he faced her, saying: "_Hornet, daughter, you certainly must be aware that if you managed to kill me, Hallownest would regard you as queen_." He let out a chuckle. "_You certainly wouldn't be able to stand something as such, would you?_"

The warrior froze in a block, her eyes widened. "I- I- wo-" There was an approaching, loud 'whoosh'.

"Look out!" She felt herself be pulled back from the collar, as a spinning blade flashed by right in front of her mask. She looked around, right into the widened, caring eyes of Max.

"Th- thank you," she quickly stuttered, smiling, before turning back towards the king and replying much more firmly: "I- I'm not sure how things shall go once I have to usurp your mantle, but know that I shall _always _rule more honorably than _you_!"

The Wyrm scowled, while she and her friend retreated to the General's side again. He stepped forward, before slowly lifting into the air, stopping only beside his magic spinning blades. Hornet braced herself, as he expelled another powerful blast of magic, changing even more of the air.

Hopefully, there wouldn't be many more left.

* * *

**ADRIAN**

* * *

He stood in the tunnel, leaning against the wall and keeping his eyes on the exit. Sadly, his healer-bee friend, Apisia, had been called to do her job in the Hive, leaving him alone for now. The kids and General had been away for quite a while now, probably a few hours. He understood that these sorts of _battles_ took pretty long sometimes.  
Still, there was that familial concern he felt for Max. Kid had only trained for a few days. Hopefully, Juss' confidence about that God damn pale bastard being weak would be true. If not that, then at least the clear connection the boy had with Hornet, even though things looked to be getting hard for the girl.

Regardless, Adrian kept on watching the tunnel. Suddenly, what felt like some sort of 'wave' went right through him. The man jolted up, looking around, then at himself, seeing nothing new or strange. A moment later, he felt a pull inside of his head. It wasn't a voice, but it told him to go _somewhere_, so he resisted it at first.

So it strengthened into a tug. Adrian fought back again, now alarmed. What the hell was this? More magic? Then, it quickly started to lose its sharp tone, becoming a call. A warm, yet firm and demanding call telling him to go. The man blinked, as his view started to turn weird. Go where?

Go _below_.

How, though? As his sight hazed further, the man saw a clear, pure white path lead forward. He shook his head. He had to wait for Max and the others. But he'd be able to do that after he was done going below, according to the call.

So he began to walk along the path.

"_No. Run!"_ Now there was a whisper, one just as warm and demanding as the rest of the call. It prompted him to run, and to run faster. The haze outside of the path was fully black, so he kept on the white. After a short while, there were dark gaps in it, making him strain and jump over them, keeping on the path.

"_Good. Faster." _So he followed it faster.

He kept along it for some more time, feeling a little strained, until suddenly, the white disappeared, along with his footing. The man fell forward into the dark haze, landing painfully. His legs and arms felt awful. Then, he saw the path reappeared in front of him, along with the call, now even stronger.

So despite the pain, he kept going. He _had _to. The dark haze around narrowed in on him, but the path remained, a bit more uneven. As he ran, it scratched and hit his arms and sides. It didn't matter, though it went on for quite long. Even then, he was thankful when the haze widened out again.

However, shortly after, the path went straight up some kind of ledge. Though it hurt, he pulled himself onto it, since he had to keep on the path. He rushed along it again, discovering that it now went down. So as quickly as he could, he climbed down. The man was quite capable, after all.

Despite that, even following the call downward, the surrounding haze had him miss a bottom step, making him fall again, though fortunately not as painfully.

Finally, the call wasn't from _below_, but _ahead._ The ground under his feet was firmer as well, prompting him to run forward again. He still had to. However, he then reached another ledge, this one higher than before. Arms were hurting, but he managed to climb up. Getting to his feet, something in the call told him there'd be no more obstacles. That was good.

So he rushed along the even white path. He was so spent and in so much pain, but the call still kept him going. The black haze around him started to turn bright as well, although it stayed unclear around the path, letting him see it, follow it better. He ran along for some time longer, he really couldn't tell how much, but the call was very close now.

At last, he made it through what _felt _like a door and saw the path's end. On that spot, he stopped. Ahead, he saw who he knew was the Caller, since he was as pale as the path. He'd made it.

But what now? The Caller smiled at him.

Then, he glanced around to see another figure, almost entirely black like the haze had been before.

"Adrian! How are you-," sounded from far away, as the dark _thing_ approached. Adrian? He guessed that was his name, but why was it being called?

"Adrian, look at me," came from a bit closer, as the character pulled of its strange face to reveal:

Juss, the General, and he looked angry.

"Adrian," his friend shouted,

"Listen only to the sound of my voice! Come back into control!"

The rest of the General slowly came into focus, as did the surrounding room. Adrian looked around. Where the hell was he? What just happened? He glimpsed at the Caller, who remained there, though he couldn't see a smile anymore. The man then turned around and saw his nephew. As a hornet, yes, but still Max. He was standing next to Hornet and both of them had their sword-things out. The latter's red cloak also looked torn.

Adrian hissed, as the pain finally registered properly.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

Something was wrong. He'd realized it a while ago.

The Pale King seemed more powerful than the General had said. They'd quickly fought off his first 'phases' and it'd seem like he really would be done for pretty soon. However, the evil god had grown much stronger after his next magic bursts, getting faster too. For a good while now, the pack had had to defend more. Hornet and he had started to get worn down as well. It was bad and even their human was getting worried.

And it just became worse when the door had suddenly opened and he'd looked in horror, as Adrian shambled in, covered in bloody scratches and bruises, his clothes tattered. At first, his eyes were even milky white. Then, the General had started speaking to him in some kind of Human, pulling the gas mask off, which'd seemed to turn him normal again.

Now he was finally returning the hornet's shocked look.

"How the hell did you bring him here," Juss' voice yelled.

"_He stood close enough and no human should live without my light_," the king tauntingly replied. "_However, I see the truth here now_." Suddenly, he raised a sparking, glowing hand towards the bloodied human. Max had learned what it meant and he _couldn't_ let it happen.

"No," he shouted, racing forward. He reached his uncle just as the white bolt fired, hitting him in the chest and making everything go dark.

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

"Max, no," Hornet screamed, haphazardly rushing to the two bodies thrown against the wall.

It'd become entirely clear that the Pale King's endurance and power were far greater than the General had expected or hoped. And although they had been able to fend off thus far, the higher being's strikes had started to get increasingly tiring to dodge and much more dangerous to parry, especially for her and her friend.

And just now, her friend had thrown himself into a blast, shielding an injured Adrian. Such a bolt would've possibly even killed _her_, but him- Tears welled up in her eyes, as she came to the unmoving hornet, crouching over the curled up hornet. He _couldn't _be! Hardship aside, they _could've _stillkilled him!

"Max," she desperately yelled again, throwing her needle aside and cradling him. "Please don't!" She knew it was denial, but slapped across his scratched mask anyway. "Wake up, I beg you." Her breaths were beyond rapid, as the words simply _came_ to her mouth.

"Don't go! I lo-"

She was interrupted by a dark chuckle, making her look at its owner.

"_Worry not, daughter, it is over. He may have seduced you, but his ability was no match for mine,_" the Pale King spoke, as even _Yuss_ seemed momentarily petrified with fear.

More tears came to the princess' eyes, as he looked back at the limp Max in her arms. All of a sudden, she felt the male twitch, eliciting a gasp from her. Then, the hornet groaned, before looking up at her.

"Hornet? Wha-," he stuttered, to the female's surprise. "What'd you just say? Why'm I so sore?" His eyes then widened, as the red-stained hyu-man beside them moved as well. They were alive, both of them.

"Of course," the General shouted from somewhere.

Max was alive. Hurt, but still with her. For the blink of an eye, Hornet felt relief. Then, it quickly turned to anger. Burning rage towards the one that did this to him, to _her_ Max. She quickly drew her needle and got back into stance, furiously glaring at the Pale King.

"_Garuma_," she yelled, before darting towards him with a hiss, intent on finishing this.

However, someone then grasped the warrior's shoulder, halting her in place. The hand then pulled her to face the unmasked _Yuss_. "Don't," he spoke, dead serious. "Stay back with them and defend if anything comes close. _I've_ got this."

He swiftly pushed her back towards their injured companions, before turning to face the Wyrm.

Hornet returned to the two other males, sending the slightest smile at Max, who'd managed to lean against the wall. They both then turned to worriedly look at the confrontation between the Pale King and the General.

"This has gone on for far too long," the latter shouted, steadily walking closer.

"_Agreed_," the higher being responded. "_When shall you realize it is useless to resist me?_"

"The exact moment _you_ tell us the source of this power!" The hyu-man waved at the room. "No Keeper's power can grow so quick from the worship of some twenty, thirty captured subjects! Tell me what you did!"

"_You are in no position to ask such things of me, human_," the king thundered back, raising the Pure Nail, "_even know of them. Instead, before I _end_ you, _you_ shall reveal where the imposter being dwells!_"

"What? What do you mean," the General asked, as Hornet also felt confused.

"_Do not act like even more of a fool_," yelled the king. "_You know what I speak off. The higher being that accompanied your forces into my realm to aid against me. The hidden one, of whom only traces can be felt!_"

The hyu-man stood silent for a moment. Then, to the warrior's further confusion, he began chuckling, angering the Wyrm.

"_Very well. I shall learn of it regardless_." The false god's glow brightened, extending to his weapon, which fired out another powerful blast. As it flew towards the hyu-man, however, his greatnail suddenly lit up with yellow and he quickly swung it, cutting right through the magic.

Hornet yelped in surprise, before seeing half of the blast heading towards them. She swiftly parried it with her needle, then looked back at the General in pure shock. Along with the greatnail, the entirety of the hyu-man's right arm appeared to be burning with yellow fire.

"_What is this_," the Pale King shouted, alarmed. "_You humans are godless. You _cannot_ use magic!_"

"_You_ know too little of us humans," _Yuss_ growled back, before charging at the enemy, burning blade in hand. Hornet could only watch in awe, as he began dealing very fast blows at the king, forcing the latter to retreat considerably. The hyu-man ended his flurry with a close shot from his gun, before slashing a final time.

"Now tell me," The female heard him hiss. "Where did you draw this power?"

"_You should know, fool_," the Wyrm's voice echoed without any weariness, "_you went to her._" A flash of white finally forced his attacker away.

"You lower than low scum," the General roared. "You _drained_ her!"

"_It was necessary,_" the king affirmed angrily, "_It gave me strength needed to save our _World_!_" He leaped into the air with raised arms, unleashing another burst of his power.

Hornet braced herself from it, before worriedly glancing at the hyu-man, who quickly turned to run back to them, sheathing his weapons. "_You mean to escape_," the king asked, barely missing him with a pale bolt.

"Yes we do," _Yuss_ breathed, reaching the warrior and males, "So fuck off!" He turned and pointed a still-lit palm at the higher being, out of which came a blast of his own. It threw the Pale King against the far wall.

"That won't give us much," he quickly said, "we've to go. Hornet, you're good. Max, you?"

The warrior too looked over to her friend, who came to his feet. "I- I'm still sore as _doma_, but I can run." His mask then became worried. "But what about my uncle?"

Indeed, the injured hyu-man was still laying on the ground, though awake.

"Adrian, I need you to touch to touch my hand," The General spoke, offering his unusual arm.

"What the hell are you, Sir," Max's uncle asked, glaring upward.

"Your friend," _Yuss_ replied, irate. "Now touch me, damn it!" The other male heeded, which made the yellow shine spread to him, rapidly closing the red wounds. Shocked, he sat, then stood up.

"Good, that kick should last enough," the leading hyu-man spoke. "Now let's move."

* * *

The pack of four ran into the great hall outside, its fresh air rushing to greet them. However, it didn't relieve for long, for Hornet saw the previously empty corridors now swarming with countless white constructs, all headed for them. As the two hyu-mans and bugs made it to the large room's middle, they found themselves entirely surrounded.

"_You won't get far,_" the king's voice sounded.

"They- They're everywhere," Max fearfully shouted beside Adrian. "Where do we go, Sir?"

"You'll go, not us," the General replied simply, raising his hand. It lit with gold again, sending a blast towards the two, which made them suddenly disappear.

"Max," Hornet found her voice again, reaching a hand to where her friend had just stood. She angrily faced the hyu-man. "What did you _do _to him?"

"Gave them enough of a head start," the strict creature replied, breathing heavily, "and we'll lengthen it even more, understood?"

The warrior gave a determined nod, glancing at the white monsters that needed to be stalled. "How long must we last here," she asked, readying her needle.

"We're not staying," _Yuss_ spoke, his right hand beginning to glow brighter, while the constructs closed in. As they were upon them, he raised it into the air in a fist, creating an eruption of gold energy, which caused the attackers to be thrown away, pushing the further ones over. "We want to survive too, don't we," he finished, pointing at the path he'd created. Hornet threw off the shock and nodded again.

With the recovered 'Kingsmoulds' in pursuit, the two charged through the white hallways. As he'd before, the hyu-man ran in the lead, as Hornet loyally followed. So far, their lead over the constructs had remained strong. Still, she couldn't tell how long she'd be able to run like this.

"Hyu-man," she shouted, "do we lead them aimlessly or are we headed somewhere?"

"I'm working on that," her companion replied, before asking: "Do you know of the lowest place in this palace?"

"Yes, the dungeon," the warrior spoke. "I don't know its entrance, however."

"Damn," the General cursed, making her flinch, "we'll just have to find it, then."

They kept on through the palace corridors, although both were now eyeing for any staircase or passage that would take them downward. Unfortunately, the rush soon started to wear Hornet down, forcing them to slow their pace, which brought the steadily running Kingsmoulds slightly closer.

"There!" Finally, the hyu-man pointed ahead at a flight of stairs leading below. The two ran to it, quickly heading down, as the white light of the palace quickly faded, replaced by wall lanterns. At the bottom, the female saw a thick wooden door. Fortunately, it was open as well.

* * *

Hornet and the General rushed into the dungeon, both coming to a halt, as the former caught her breath and the male slammed the door shut, breaking the lock with a punch.

"That won't hold them for long," he said, looking at the warrior. "Still, we're pretty lucky about this."

"Indeed," she agreed, glancing around the uncomfortably familiar prison tunnel. "We've made it here. Where do we head now?"

"Well, you and Max escaped somehow. How we try over there," the General offered, as multiple sets of muffled footsteps became heard.

Hornet hastily showed her agreement, there really being no other options, and they quickly began heading deeper into the dungeon. The dark maze of tunnels wasn't easy to navigate, but hers was the memory of a hunter, soon leading them onto the path to the exit she'd used with her friend.

After a good while of running, they came upon the last stretch of dimly lit prison room. Making their way towards the rocky border wall, Hornet suddenly made something out. At the General's confused hum, she looked at a closed cell to their side, while the sound continued. Carefully approaching, the warrior scented what was unmistakably hyu-man. Then, she saw the figure on the floor, as it groaned again.

"Oh no," she heard her companion mutter. "Charles."

"What," she asked him. "You know who this is?"

"Yes, he's a human I tried to save from Max's town on the surface," the General replied. "Didn't end well."

"But I thought _he_ had them all changed," Hornet spoke, confused. Just then, the figure looked up, seeing them. He began speaking something in Hyu-man, reaching out towards them.

"Don't be afraid, MisterCharles," her hyu-man responded understandably, "she is with me."

The jailed male went on, his voice weak.

"I'm sorry, we're being chased. I cannot let you out," the General spoke, regret in his tone, causing this 'Charles' to sob loudly, before slurring more. As he did so, however, Hornet's attention was caught by something resounding throug the darkness.

She looked back into the tunnel, instantly recognizing the metallic footsteps getting closer by the moment. She turned back to the General, who was reaching into the cell, whispering something else she couldn't catch.

"Hyu-man, we must go, now," she anxiously called, as the General hastily pulled his hands from the bars and stood back up, nodding.

Fortunately, it was a less than short dash to the dungeon's border, which lead straight into the cold edge cavern. Following the gust from the front yet again, Hornet burrowed through the narrow passage, even hurting her feet on its uneven ground. Still, she soon saw the cracked wall ahead. The warrior nearly leaped out onto the small ledge, catching her fleeting breath yet again. Moments later, _Yuss_ joined her as well.

He looked at her, expectantly waving a hand, to which the warrior stood back upright, glaring at the cliff she'd once helped Max climb. It felt so long ago, even though a little more than a week had passed. Nonetheless, she pointed up it.

"No, we can't go up. Look," the General said in response, nudging at the bridge above. Hornet's eyes widened, as she saw Kingsmoulds already standing on it, looming down at them, as the scratching of metal started echoing from the passage. They were trapped again, unless-

"Hyu-man," Hornet asked desperately, "can't you send us away as you did Max?"

"I'm sorry, not anymore. Too spent for that" her companion replied, breathing heavily. Suddenly, he asked: "Hornet, is there walkable land in the Abyss?"

Confused, the warrior glanced at the dark below. She'd only ever dared its entrance pit when it'd been opened. However, Ghost had gone further, meaning there had to be something, so she nodded.

The hyu-man smirked. "Good. And how far can you bugs fall and survive?"

"O- Our shells naturally resist heights," Hornet stuttered, coming to realize what he meant to do. "Wait, you do not-"

"Yes, I do" _Yuss_ affirmed gravely. "We'll be fine."

Then, before she could even react and jump away, he charged, tackling her off the cliff.

Needle escaping her grasp, Hornet could only scream, as they plunged into darkness.

* * *

**Merry early Christmas!**

**And here we are. The big 'season finale' chapter. After a month in development, hopefully It'll have been worth the wait. Hopefully, it didn't feel to long either. That middle part with the General especially, since school-stress made me care too much about daily word quota there. Thankfully, I stopped the filler for the end battle and think it came out pretty good. **

**But seriously, I hope you liked the (kind of obvious) reveals and stuff. Sadly, since this took so long to write, it was also very time-consuming and stressful, I'm really going to take a break now to spend Christmas in peace. So expect actual new chapters around February.**

**Thanks for sticking around so far. R&R**


	24. The Call

Interlude: The Call

* * *

**THE PALE KING**

* * *

The Wyrm was once again sat upon His throne, frustrated over the battle that'd ended a little more than an hour ago. Although the struggle had been won, it was not in a way He would've liked. The combined strength of Hornet, the human and the barbarian had taken long to break, even with the latter's rather sluggish skills.

Regardless, He'd ultimately released enough power to wear them down, before nearly managing to dispose of the hornet with the distraction of the escaped human He'd Called from above. Then however, as he'd been about to take care of his seduced daughter as well, the other human had stood to face Him instead, unveiling the being whose energy traces He'd found before in the progress. Himself.

This had truly surprised the Pale king and rightfully so. Prior to that, He had sensed almost nothing out of the ordinary about the human. Even with His power held back, He would have surely sensed if a disguised higher being entered the palace. Still, the sentry's, Juss', revealed magic had clearly felt as sacred in nature as His own, however he'd come to have it. Not only that, the creature had called Him by the gods' older moniker, showing that there may still be more rivals on the surface. Most annoyingly, the violent revelation had allowed the losing attackers to make their escape.

Fortunately, it wouldn't really matter.

His enhanced full ability was still greater than anything the empowered human had shown and though He'd failed in destroying him, he and His daughter weren't going to last long in the Void. Same for the hornet and other human, whom He had already ordered to be hunted down. Even now, they were no longer a threat to His unleashed powers.

Which He could finally start putting to proper use. By now he'd _personally_ ensured each of his servants that it was safe to resume their duties.

Indeed, it was time to resume His greater role in Hallownest's eternal growth. The Wyrm began to _reach out_ with His enlarged mind, _focusing _it on the matters that were truly important.

He had much planned, no matter if it meant losing a couple of Kingsmoulds.

* * *

**ALLEN**

* * *

As the white Sun loomed, the seven-man unit now bearing the hastily given designation of Alpha Squad were currently stopped on a desert hill. The name did fit, though, since they were one of the spearheads in the steady advance that'd started yesterday. Even in a little more than twenty four hours, they'd already covered good ground. The little town, point Echo, was already visible in the distance, hopefully close enough for them to reach by tonight, after which they'd quickly secure it.

Right now, however, Allen was laying prone beside the dark clad Lieutenant Steve, eyeing the rows of hostiles still separating them from the town. While the engagements with the increasingly slow golems had been successful so far, the COs had strictly ordered to keep their distance when firing in order to avoid _any_ more casualties. Joseph couldn't disagree. He'd had a personal taste of what those things could do up close.

God damn, he still hadn't gotten enough revenge for that.

The soldier kept glaring at the next 'wave' of unmoving golems and the hovering spheres, his squadmates doing the same. None of them had said anything for a while, waiting for a runner to return. Since all radio was down, Taylor and Lieutenant L had appointed a team of lighter-equipped troops to carry orders between the units to stay coordinated, kind of how Allen knew older armies had done.

Soon enough, he heard quick footsteps approach from the side and looked, as the Lts and Sergeant stood up to speak to the young-looking soldier.  
"Sirs," the runner saluted, panting.  
"At ease, private," Steve said, arms crossed, "What is our status?"  
"All good, Sir. The other squads 're ready to fire on your mark," the kid answered, "rest of my team's dug down with them."  
"Well, we should be set, then," Clarke stated.

"Yes," L's muffled voice agreed. "Good thing too. This stop's been taking too long."  
"Sir," the private started, "I'll be staying with your squad, right?"  
"I think we'll be fine on our own," the Lt replied, "group up with the next squad and stay with them, understood?"  
The runner nodded. "Clear as day, Sir." He then adjusted his gun strap, before quickly starting towards the unit positioned to the south.

A few seconds later, Clarke and Steve rejoined the rest of the squad on the ground.  
"Alright, Lieutenant, time to get those light rounds out," the sarge said.  
"Ahead of you, American," Steve replied, pulling out his sidearm, as the other foreigner finished setting himself back down as well.  
"Men, you know how this goes by know," he spoke loudly. "Tracers are shot, we wait five minutes, then open fire first." He set his LSAT machine gun to the ready, as Allen and the others did the same with their rifles.

Now, the soldier had seen the type of advanced tac gear worn by the junior Lt a few times on spec ops soldiers, but holy _shit_ was L's combat armor something else. Yesterday's surprise had worn off, but still. The futuristic plated outfit looked like it'd stop a Warthog round and Allen had _no_ idea how the Lt managed to move so damn fast in it, especially with the LMG.

"Okay, Steve, at the full minute" the armored officer then called, to which the other officer pointed the pistol ahead, looking at his watch. Some twenty seconds later, he finally fired, the tracers flashing brightly, even in the discolored daylight. Allen turned to glare towards the enemy through his gun's optic, his trigger finger already twitching.

As he threw an impatient glance as his watch, though, the private's head suddenly began throbbing, making him raise his off hand to it, as even his view blurred for a moment. It was brought back by a loud hiss from Bill.  
"Oh, fuck," he said, pained.  
"What's the matter, soldier," Clarke asked.  
"My head just started aching like hell," the Specialist replied to Allen's confusion.  
"Here too," Brooks then added, baffling him even more. "Just started hurting. Feels kinda weird."  
"We've been under the Sun the whole day. It's- It's hopefully just the heat," came the strict voice of L, "so suck it up. We're up in thirty se-"

He was cut off by a burst of gunfire coming from the north. Alert, the squad looked over, just as even more shots flashed. These few were quickly joined by fire from the other squads' positions, then from the units to their south. The soldiers looked at each other, confused, while the Lieutenant angrily muttered something. Suddenly, Brooks stood up, seemingly to fire, as Allen felt a strange impulse and rose into a crouch himself, the migraine having softened.  
"What are you doing," Bill asked, turning to Clarke. "Sarge, what the hell's going on? Do we open fire?"  
"I've no damn clue, Johnson," the officer responded. "Sir?"  
L hissed something else, before shouting: "Ugh, time's up now anyway. You're free to engage!"

Though he still felt a bit off, the PFC didn't hesitate and opened fire on the enemy, his comrades doing the same. After a few bursts, Jacques and Bill stood up as well, the latter getting onto the hilltop.  
"Johnson," the Sergeant shouted, "I know they're far, but at least _try_ to keep your head down!"  
"Doesn't look like it's needed, Sarge," the Specialist replied over more shots. "Look at them."

True to his word, the white rows of golems were still standing still, unlike the prior engagements when they'd at least slowly marched towards them. Even the spheres, who'd been real pains yesterday, were just hovering in place, a few of them being hit and going *poof*.

"What _is_ this," Jacques spoke up, reloading in tandem with Allen. "Have they given up?"  
"Yeah, Sarge, do we push in," Brooks asked, his usually calmer tone weirdly on edge.  
"Hell no, Corporal. We're staying in place," Clarke replied strictly. "For all we knew, this could be a lure to get us close."  
"Well, that seems to be working, then," the Specialist shouted, pointing to the hill to their right, where the neighboring squad had started moving towards the enemy, stopping to fire on them. A few moments later, the PFC saw other units heading down as well.

"What the fuck are they doing," the Sergeant mutter beside him, before turning to the COs, who were finally getting up as well. "Lieutenant, we're gonna need some orders. Do we stay up here or go in as well."  
The higher officer sighed audibly, saying: "Fine then. Discipline seems to have gone to hell anyway. You've the permission to move up. Get this over with quickly."  
"Yes, Sir," Clarke nodded, before facing the rest of the squad again. "You heard them, soldiers. Time to move!"

"Understood, Sarge! Let's go, people," Brooks shouted, crossing the hilltop. Allen shook off the last of the weird headache, before quickly starting down it himself, hearing the others follow. A short distance after, he stopped with the Corporal, as they fired a few bursts on the golems, whose rows had gotten very thin with seemingly all the troops now closing in.

* * *

The next couple of minutes were spent similarly, with the squad covering more ground, then firing on the creatures again. Every single golem he sent clattering to the ground encouraged Allen even more. It looked like the things really _had_ given up. After his second reload, they reached where the first row of the things had stood before, just as the ones in the very back finally started to move, backing off.

Their retreat was quickly cut short by more gunfire and a couple of seconds later, all that was left of the golems were piles of their shiny armor. A few cheers sounded from the other squads' direction, to which Allen looked towards Bill, who shrugged.  
"Don't see why they're shouting. We've still got some ground to cover," he said. "Don't know why they went in like that either. Plan was pretty clear."  
"Well, at least this worked out," the PFC spoke. "_They_ let it for some reason." He kicked at one of the armor pile.  
"Yeah, but even then, the others, they fucked up an order," his squadmate replied. "You heard how pissed the Lieutenant was. He's not gonna let that slide."

"Negative, Specialist, I am," Lihve spoke up from behind, prompting both soldiers to look at him.  
"What," Allen asked, surprised. "Sorry, Sir, but you really didn't seem like the lenient type."  
"Trust me, private, there'd be _no_ point to it, not anymore," the officer stated, shooting a glance at the other Lt. "Just get ready. We're moving up in a couple of minutes. If nothing else gets in our way, we'll reach the town by night." He turned around, heading back towards Clarke and Steve.

Still seeming confused, Bill just shrugged at Allen again, before stepping away as well, leaving the soldier to stare in the direction of the town and distant mountains they still needed to get to.

Wait, mountains?

Actually, now that that'd dawned on him, it made a lot of sense. Even if the golems had taken over the tiny town, it sure as hell couldn't have been their origin. The mountains on the other hand were only a few hours further and it just _felt _logical for the things to have come from there, which naturally meant they had to be chased all the way back.

Yeah, Allen was now _sure_ the battalion would head there after they'd cleared point E, they _had_ to. He just _knew_ they did if they wanted to find whatever did this, maybe even rescue the actual locals. Damn, he hoped those monsters hadn't killed them and if so, that they weren't doing too awful.

Suddenly, the soldier felt the headache return, then instantly disappear again. A bit worried, he gave his head another shake, before turning back to the squad. Something was off about this, but they _had_ to get a move on.

* * *

**TIMOTHY**

* * *

He laid on the floor of this dark, almost freezing cell, no longer even sure how much time had passed.

Timothy Charles had gone through many terrible things in the last few days and his aged limbs still hurt from the rough treatment by the guarding beasts.  
However, this pain was nothing compared to what he'd felt the last time he saw his daughter, his Haley, unresponsive at _his_ feet, before he was dragged away for not allowing _his_ lies and sorcery get through to his faith.  
Now, while the storekeeper otherwise knew to take the holy book for its metaphors, there was no doubt in his mind that the figure was none other than the _Devil _himself, no doubt come to spread his evil into the world.

This dark place perfectly reflected that evil. What little he was given to drink or fed clearly wasn't enough. Worse, the meat was entirely raw, tasting and feeling horrible and causing the cell to feel even more oppressive. And Timothy knew it wasn't just to hurt him either, since when he'd been brought, one of the white monsters had also dropped a white mask beside him, the same kind his poor girl had been made to wear, making her lose consciousness on the spot.

Even without being told, he soon realized the Devil wanted him to put it on as well and as what were now certainly days dragged on, it had become more and more agonizing to resist its temptation. As time passed, the small, selfish part of him almost felt envious at Kent and the three soldiers, who'd managed to escape their captors in the caves.

Despite all this, the respectably aged man didn't feel entirely hopeless anymore, for there'd been a sign. What couldn't've been more than an hour ago, when the hunger and thirst had just started becoming unbearable, he'd heard someone running down the corridor outside the bars. Too weak to do much else, he'd just groaned out.  
Then, by God's grace, he'd heard the deep voice of the General, Juss, along with a young lady's.

However, upon looking up, Timothy had seen one of the bug monsters beside the dark-clothed officer.  
"Sir, one of them is right next to you," he'd said, panicked, pointing at it.  
"Don't be afraid, Mister Charles," the other man had replied. "She is with me."  
Though surprised, the jailed man had gone on: "I- I see. B- but please, save me from this place already. I- I don't think I can last here for much longer."  
"I'm sorry, we're being chased. I cannot let you out," the soldier said with regret, to which Timothy couldn't help but let out a sob, though he understood.

Still, as the girl-voiced creature had moved away from the bars, he pleaded: "But then please, rid me of this temptation." He'd pointed at the mask in the dark beside him. "I'm scared I can't hold back soon."

To his relief, the General had nodded, before crouching and reaching through the bars to pick up the bony white item. The next moment, he'd grabbed onto Timothy's shoulder with his right hand, which began to glow with a dim, golden light, much to the jailed man's surprise.

"This isn't from _your_ god, but it should still help," the soldier had whispered, as Tim had suddenly felt much less tired, the hunger and pain feeling weaker as well. "Still, be strong now, Mister Charles."  
"Please, Sir," the storekeeper had muttered back, "if not me, save my daughter from this _evil_."  
The other man had just given another nod. "I wi-"

He'd been cut off by the girl-bug saying something in the creatures' language, to which the officer had hastily slid the mask into his coat and stood back up, before running along with her. Moments later, many of the white, metallic monsters had rushed past the cell, clearly chasing after them. After they'd gone by, the aged man had found himself alone again.

Since then, he had simply laid there and stared at the ceiling, not wanting to waste the strength he'd just been given. However, it was quickly becoming more than apparent that it wasn't very pleasant to his back anymore, so he decided to finally sit up against the wall. It felt easier to think upright like this and Timothy had quite few things he wanted to think about.

First and foremost, he truly wished the army man would be able live up to his plea and rescue Haley from the _Light Bringer's_ grasp, even if it meant leaving him down here. He was old anyway. Still, there was the hope things wouldn't have to come to that, especially with Juss' gift of vigour.  
But how _had_ he done that? He'd told Timothy that the power, the glow, hadn't come from _his_ God, but didn't that make it sorcery as well? Should he have rejected it? No. It'd clearly been selfless help and that was always worth praise, no matter who gave it.

The General's strange companion made it seem that not all of these creatures living in this place were on the evil one's side. However, it would definitely take more than might to push him back to the depths, so the aged storekeeper got on his knees and began to pray for them all, hoping _his_ presence wouldn't make it less heard.

At least the cold meant it didn't smell too bad down here.

* * *

**QUEEN VESPA**

* * *

Nothing could come close to the true terror she was feeling right now. Not only had the attack _she_'d helped devise left almost all of the partaking soldiers injured, one poor Hiveling even dead, but it'd also gone oh so horribly wrong. The Pale King hadn't been killed, but had instead become frighteningly more powerful. Worst of all, the pack gone to face the higher being was completely missing, including Hornet, whom the specter truly did view as fondly as her true children.

That damned human and his confidence! Although Vespa understood the General had been just as unaware of the pale tyrant's power, it was nonetheless hard not to feel angered at him for his insistence in having the preparations be so fast, not be patient and waiting for new developments. The White Lady's death, while indeed a tragedy, had only added to the impatience.

And because of it, her surrogate daughter, Max, Juss and even the other human could've easily been killed already, for the few scouts she'd dared send out hadn't discovered anything yet. In short, the plan to give Hallownest a new, impressionable ruler, one that would have additional favor towards her and her kind, was dashed.  
Vespa knew that it sounded horribly manipulative, but it really was for the best. Hornet as queen would've definitely given the Hive aid in searching for more of their kind, while also acting as a firm ruler for her own kingdom. But even if a more thought-out plan had failed, the three warriors may have still made it back to defend against the coming onslaught.

Now, there was no doubt the king was going to set his sights on the Hive. It'd taken part in the attempt on his life, after all. Vespa feared, no, _knew_ that her colony wouldn't be able to match the constructs, least of all the Wyrm himself, but was doing her best to keep it from the hive mind. The last thing she wanted was her Hivelings to panic as much as her. Though it seemed there'd soon be nothing else left to do.

All of a sudden, the ghost felt as if her mind was ablaze, as the hive mind became completely silent. Grasping her head, she then heard a chilling voice say: "_Queen Vespa, I must say_ _you've disappointed me. I was quite certain our realms were allies_."  
Although frightened and in pain, Vespa managed a collected, diplomatic tone, replying into the air: "Indeed, they are. The Hive stands by Hallownest and its bugs, but not by you, nor your ideals of conquest."  
"Fool! _I _am _Hallownest,"_ the Wyrm boomed, forcing the Hiveling to clutch her head even harder, "_and it is the ancient duty of my kind to rule over all. It's all but right to resist it, futile, no less."_

"Yes, I'm aware your power has grown unbelievably strong," Vespa admitted, struggling to stay professional. "So why even bother speaking to me? If we have betrayed you so, why not simply have your forces crush us and be done with it? It is clear my Hive can- cannot hope to fend them off."  
"_Oh, Vespa, you take me for a monster," _the Pale King spoke, his voice mocking offence. "_The Hive still holds some value to me. And while your actions disappoint, I can see you were misguided by the sympathy you had towards my corrupted daughter and her villainous companions."_

The ghostly monarch's eyes widened. "Hornet," she couldn't help but blurt. "How are they? _Where_?"  
"_They_," the king began, "shall _be dealt with. But it'll matter to you not, _Hiveling_."  
_Breathing a sigh of relief that Hornet wasn't dead, yet, Vespa asked: "And what is that supposed to mean, Wyrm?"  
"_It means that you and your little Hive shall serve me as a part of Hallownest_," the higher being replied bluntly. "_I see it as a fair enough repayment for your attempted deeds against us."  
_"Us Hivelings simply sought peace," the specter hissed angrily. "You- You're a warmonger."  
"_Indeed, I am and with right_," the Pale King affirmed. "_You yourself brought attention to my Kingsmoulds' power and how they would defeat you with ease. Or would you prefer I hasten your kind's demise?_"

Desperate, the queen tried to come up with other arguments, but was unable to. Even if slow, a natural death for her daughters would've at least been painless. And even as vassals, the king would hopefully let a few of her scouts outside the cliffs to search.  
"Very well then, the Hive shall serve," she agreed weakly, giving an equally sullen nod.  
"_Excellent,"_ the Wyrm whispered, letting out a dark chuckle. "_Most excellent. You are Wise, Vespa. I shall soon be making a proper visit to discuss the terms of this agreement in full."  
_"Huh," the Hiveling huffed, confused. "Why not do so like this?"  
"_Because I wish to see for myself how your dear subjects won't even _think _of setting a claw on me while I walk among them._"

"Oh."  
Vespa nodded again, still not even knowing if he could see it. However, a question then formed. "But tell me, why have you need for our Hiveblood already," she asked. "It is clear only a small fraction of your army is made of true bugs and I doubt it'd her those lifeless, uh, _Kingsmoulds_ of yours."  
"_You've really no right to ask me of such things," _the Pale King began, "_but as overseer of my newest domain, I am willing to let you know that they'll soon be joined by _many_ more. And besides, you shall do much more than supply us."  
_He let out another chuckle. "_But that is for us to speak of later. I have to set my mind to other things now. Farewell, my _loyal _queen."_

His laughter echoed through the monarch's head, before finally fading, along with the pain. A moment later, she could feel the familiar buzzing of the hive mind again and wasted no time in comforting her children, who were all more than agitated at their queen-mother being so suddenly cut off and despite her assurances, quite a few of each caste still made their way to her chamber just to be sure. They cared _so_ much and it hurt to keep their home's new status from them.

Patient, Vespa calmly eased their worries. However, after the last worker had left back to her duties, her motherly smile disappeared and she struck angrily at the wax wall, her fist passing right through it. She knew this was not right and unfair, but there simply wasn't a better way.  
Though she loved Hornet and had hoped for the attack to succeed, the Hive came first, even if it meant _this_. She merely hoped there wouldn't be any other conditions she'd have to meet.

Though knowing her new '_master_', it was unlikely. At least her little spiderling could run and hide.

* * *

**OGRIM**

* * *

The Dung Defender was sitting on a mound of his hard work, in thought about recent events. It had now been quite a number of days since he'd last met or even seen the silent, tiny knight and a fair amount of outrageous things had happened since. Most surprisingly, the husks and rabid beasts infesting the waterways had one day completely died off, as if the Infection within them had simply vanished. That was, of course, an amazing turn of events and the large beetle was certain his little new friend had something to do with it. His great king's once ill-fated ploy hadn't been that unknown to him, after all.

Then, about a day's time later, the beetle had abruptly been woken up in his dear tiny _doma_ den, when it'd nearly been brought down by loud and strong tremors from below. After bolstering it, he'd swiftly made his way out, as the shaking had continued. Worried that this might've had something to do with the Abyss' Void, he'd hurried to the edge of his territory and looked down the old lift shaft, catching sight of a red-and-white blur flashing by, recognizing it as Hornet, the Deepnest-born warrior. Not soon after, the quakes had stopped.

Despite the clear signs that something was afoot, the Defender had decided to remain in his tunnel for the time being. He was still a knight and couldn't've simply abandoned his duty. The entrance to his Kindly fellow knight had to be protected. So for the following days, he'd ignored the increasing commotion up from the city streets, in wait for someone to seek him out themselves, with no one doing so.

But now that he was thinking about it, the idea of heading into the capital to at least find out who'd taken up residence there did seem bright. He wouldn't be gone for long and the husks were no more, meaning Isma should have been alright. Indeed! He'd visit the city and-  
The dung beetle's thought was cut off by a feeling in his mind he hadn't felt for an impossibly long time. And though it was unpleasant, it brought sudden tears of happiness to the knight's eyes, as did the voice he then heard: "_Ogrim, my loyal White Defender, I speak with you once more_."

"My lord, pale and everlasting. I knew you would return one day," the Defender joyfully greeted into the air. "How can I be of service to you?"  
"_Foremost, my knight, I wish that you told me how matters have been to you and the rest of my knights_," the Pale King spoke, "_and why it is that I cannot find any, but you_."

The beetle sighed, his delight dampened slightly. "For nearly all the time you haven't been with us, I have stood undeterred here in our capital's waterways," he began proudly, "protecting it from mindless husks of who were once your loyal subjects. Kindly Isma hasn't left her grove from the east of here, but I know not of the others." He hung his head. "With the Infection's long reign, I fear the worst."

While filled with bravado and love for honorable combat, the Dung Defender was no fool. Though he still had dreams of the great battles they had fought in long ago, he'd come to realize the likelihood of never seeing any of them again, _not_ _even Isma_.  
"_That is,"_ his king stated, "regrettable_. You five together would have made a valuable benefit at a time like this, yet it seems your devotion must suffice._"

The great knight's eyes widened. "What for, my king? Is Hallownest at war?"  
"_Indeed, it is_," his sire affirmed. "_I've at last come to the decision of allowing the western tribes the privilege of being part of our glorious kingdom, unfortunately against their own archaic wishes._"  
The Defender nodded. It was a shame their neighbors were so uncivilized that they rejected the king's word for so long and he was glad that was finally changing.

"_However,_" he continued, "_my sentries have done well enough that you aren't needed there, but another campaign." _Confused, the beetle was about to ask of it, which the monarch must've sensed. "_I shall explain about it in my palace, Ogrim, once you've made it back here."  
_"So it has returned as well," the royal knight stated, eyes even wider. "That is beyond grand, sire, but I fear I cannot do so like this."  
"_And_ _whyever is that," _the king asked, tone justly indignant.  
"This passage has been under my honorable guard for a long time, my king," the beetle spoke, "I cannot leave my post so abruptly."

"_That ought to be fixed, then," _his lord said. "_White Defender, I hereby _command_ you leave the waterways behind and return to the White Palace."_  
Hearing such a firm and just order after so long brought another proud tear to the Defender's eye. "Understood, my lord, I shall be on my way right away," he proclaimed, wiping it away.  
"_Good, do so with haste. I must still search and Call for others worth my time. Goodbye," _his Pale King's voice replied, disappearing alongside the headache.

The Dung Defender stood in place for a couple of moments, letting the shock run its full course, before hastily setting course for the shaft entrance. Before heading through, however, he glanced back at the _doma_-filled sewer, which'd been his home and entrance to the grove for all these years. He held back any more tears, knowing Isma would've much more preferred his usual attitude. He was going to miss her.  
"Farewell," Ogrim spoke, "I'll devote my battles to you as much as I'll do to the king."

He turned around, stepping into the lift tunnel's side and taking a breath of its air. He didn't know why other bugs found his kind's namesake repulsive, but fresh things were also sometimes good. Then, he jumped down, curling into a ball and barreling towards new, glorious battles for his king.

And perhaps even new knightly companions. Hallownest was bound to have a few good warriors left.

* * *

**ZOTE**

* * *

Zote the Mighty sat on a bench at the center of the village of Dirtmouth, his trusty and infamous Life Ender leaned beside it. He'd spent the last week or so recovering from his great journeys through the caves below, using them as an opportunity to gain the clear admiration of the townsfolk, more of whom appeared to be arriving lately. Strangely, most of them didn't really show it, probably out of some foreign politeness.

However, there were quite a few who didn't fear showing how highly they thought of him, like his faithful Bretta and the two male pill-bug younglings with strange names, whose parents worked long every day, leaving them for him to look after and teach with his all wise precepts (though he'd decided to skip the eleventh, fifty-second and a few others as well). They, of course, were avid learners, which he rewarded with tales of his adventures in Hallownest and what manner beasts he'd slayed on them.

And of the short, silent warrior. From their first, unpleasant meeting above the green place, the mighty knight had observed their weird doings and as much as he hated to admit it, had grown the slightest bit of admiration for the scentless bug after they had so barely overcome his own strength in the colosseum. Such a feat deserved acknowledgement.

Still, the character had had the annoying habit of getting between him and his prey, before annoyingly killing them. This was apparent now too, as from what Zote had heard and understood, the silent knight had fought and killed this 'Infection', which was apparently what'd kept all the beasts and monsters going, meaning there was almost nothing left for _him_ to hunt, since he didn't want to head back to the colosseum yet. That would've been boring and not enough of a challenge for the likes of him. No, he had to think up something else.

It was a good thing he was so smart.

That was what he was doing on the bench, alone, since the younglings' parents had gotten a free day and Bretta had said she had to finish writing something (At times, Zote had thought about learning to write too, before realizing how useless it was to a great knight). It must've been a very hard topic, though, as even a wise bug like him was having trouble coming up where to adventure in.

It didn't help that he simply couldn't help shooting the nearby guards a dirty look every once in a while. Zote didn't understand how they dared act with him this way. Ever since they'd come up from the now monster-free caves and begun running things, the armored bugs had only talked down to him, even calling him _short_ on a few occasions. Jealous, insolent curs! They were lucky he felt so merciful right now.

Still, the knight came back to the issue of finding more lowly things to slay. Though, did he really need to anymore? He'd already found some glory in that arena, even bringing back a helmet as proof of his greatness. He even had an audience to speak wisdoms to. Perhaps it was better to stay up here where it was safe and-  
Stop! This was not how a might warrior like him thought. There had to be a way for him. Maybe if he looked really, really, _really _hard-

Zote's thoughts were stopped by a pain in his mind, which almost made him jolt off the bench. Angered, he snatched Life Ender and stood up on it, growling: "Who dares attack Zote the Mighty's great mind? Show yourself, invisible cur!"  
"_Ease yourself, Zote, and reconsider who you are speaking to," _a strange voice boomed in his head._  
_"Who are you, then," the renowned knight asked, before accusing: "Are you the evil force putting thoughts of settling down in me?"  
"_I am _not_ evil, but it's exact opposite_," this speaker continued. "_I am the Pale King of the reborn Hallownest and the sole one responsible for your thoughts is yourself. However, there is yet much potential greatness in you_."

"Potential?" Zote felt insulted. "I am already among the greatest warriors in the whole world."  
"_Perhaps_," this 'king' spoke_, _"_But you compare not to the knights of old. That, I can change_."  
"But my shell is already near indestructible," the knight boasted sensibly, "my strength strongest."  
"_Even if so, good things can always be made even better," _the voice promised, "that is, _on the condition that you serve me and Hallownest."_  
"And why should I want do that," the mighty bug asked, still skeptical.  
"_It rewards glory like no other position_," he was told, "_and a chance to earn more in great battles for our kingdom. You are already my subject and a proud bug of Hallownest regardless. Why not use this greatness you boast of to fight for it?"_

This took the knight aback, but in a good, inviting way. For a moment, he remembered a nestmate once telling not to trust voices in his head, but precept four quickly helped with that.  
"Then I will fight for you as the greatest of knights," Zote said, determined. "What must I do first?"  
"_Seek out my White Palace in the depths of the Ancient Basin_," the Pale King said, "_and do so with haste. I may even have a stag lent to you, if you so wish."  
_"That won't be necessary. I am faster than any beast of burden," the bug affirmed.  
"_Then come, Goodbye for now, mighty Zote_," this new master called, the voice and hurt both dwindling away.

The knight got off the bench and immediately began heading for the well-stairs, ignoring the guards' rude snickering, as per precept two. They'd be sorry soon enough. Still, with agreeing to serve the king, he _had_ broken a few others. Bah! A few of them were getting old anyway and something that gave glory couldn't be bad, even if it meant disobeying a few of his own teachings.

Zote sheathed his Life Ender and began heading down the spiraling steps. Whoever thought of standing against this kingdom would get absolutely no chance, nor mercy.

For he was Zote the Mighty!

* * *

**Heyo! Did you miss me? Admit it, you missed me.**

**Sadly, this won't be a return to our scheduled programming yet and the next real chapters will take some more time.**

**Still, I hope you liked this interlude, considering it was a bit more plot-heavy than the last, setting up more things to come. As per the title, almost everyone had a drink of pale kool-aid here, except for Tim, of course (I hope I wrote him believably enough, though Zote was the hardest) **

**Happy late New Year and adios for now. R&R**


	25. Chapter 21: Into Darkness

Chapter 21: Into Darkness

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

Max was scurrying up the Basin's strange wall, panicked out of his wits. He glanced down at his uncle, who was struggling to climb right below him. The hornet had no idea what'd just happened, only that they had been surrounded inside the palace, when the General had pointed his glowy hand at him and Adrian. There'd been a gold flash, and the two had suddenly landed here at the bottom of the dark cave. This still wasn't very far from the shining fortress, however, and he _didn't_ want to face those pale things again.

"Come on," he shouted.

"Right behind you," the human called back, before worriedly asking: "You are okay rushing up like this, right, Max?"

"Uh-huh. I'm fine, uncle," Max replied, "and you're the one who was hurt worse. Can _you _keep up?"  
"I- I'm okay, don't worry," Adrian breathed, as they reached the platform with the lamppost. "Whatever the hell _he_ did back there was a real good wakeup."

"Okay, we're good," the bug muttered, "we're _fine_." He did still feel a little sore, though. How in the _doma_ had he survived at all?"

For the next few, long minutes, the two kept climbing up the black cavern, with Max eventually helping Adrian pull himself up the highest ledge. Out of breath, he pointed at the hatch, getting a nod. This time, his uncle went first, before heaving him up onto the tram platform, where the two dead sentries still laid, one due to him.

"Okay, so what now," Adrian stated rather than asked, as they looked across the flat, lit space. "We get back to the Hive, right?"

"I guess so, yeah," the hornet said, peering ahead at the larger tunnel, which had closed while they'd been at the palace, leaving only the rockier one. "We really don't have anywhere else."

"That's true," the human sighed. "I'm guessing the way back's through there." He nudged his head towards the opening.

Max nodded, a bit confused. Out of the blue, he realized something that could've been serious, nervously asking: "What if we're followed, though?"

"I don't know, but we'll think of something," his uncle assured, stepping towards the platform's side. "And at least the Hivelings will put up a good enough fight. Let's just go no-"

He was cut off by loud, metallic clanging echoing from the decorated trapdoor, causing Max's eyes to widen in alarm.

"_Doma_, they're coming," he shouted, rushing forwards.

"Then we _really _need to go," his relative replied, also hastening his pace, as the noise already seemed to be getting closer. However, just before he reached the edge, the hornet stopped in place, sensing some_one_ in the air.

"What's wrong," Adrian called between breaths, nervously glancing at the hatch.

There's someone here," he replied, hand going to his nail out of instinct. And a good thing it did, for the next moment, an armed bug flew up from below the ledge, forcing him to dodge backwards. He then glared at the winged sentrybug, who returned the look, before swinging forward with an angry screech. Max blocked the hit, forcing the female to step back.

"You killed our brothers in arms, savage," she hissed at him, as another, decidedly male guard climbed up beside her. "Now, in the name of the king, _you_ shall die! As shall you, filthy creature!" She pointed her weapon at Adrian.

"Get back, uncle," Max shouted at the human, as the sentries started to close in on him.

"Where to," the man asked in reply, the echoing of the constructs even louder now.

"I- I don't know. We're boxed in," the hornet yelled anxiously, still looking ahead.

"That's right, scum." the male attacker sneered, slashing at him, which he swiftly parried, before being forced even further back by two more attacks from the other.

"Ugh, just give in and fall already," the lithe sentry growled. From the way things were looking, Max was even starting to consider it.

"Max, get into the box-thing," he suddenly heard his uncle shout, glancing aside to see him at the tram's door. Dammit, he'd completely disregarded the thing! "N_ow! _Come on," the human added, to which he ducked under another swing, scrambling towards the vehicle.

"Get back here," one of the soldierbugs yelled, painfully grazing his back and making him yelp out. Despite it, the hornet managed to make it through the entrance, before looking back just in time to narrowly avoid the female, as she dashed inside as well. She quickly swung again, driving him further between the seats and blocking off the front control panel.

"You _beasts_ are _not_ getting away," she snarled, to which Max, though scared out of his mind at this point, instinctively growled back, bringing his nail forth to meet hers, their ensuing slashes cutting up the surrounding cushions. Holding his ground, the young warrior pulled back from the clash, glaring at his seething opponent.

"Max," Adrian said from behind him. "Max, we're almost out of time!" A glance out the side window revealed he was right.

"I _know_," the hornet snapped, anguished, "I just _can't_ reach the buttons. _You _try something!"

"It's no use," the winged sentry jeered, "you'll be dead before the big ones get here."

With a yell, she charged at Max, who was barely able to block the powerful attack, desperately thinking this would really be it. However, as the female went in for another strike, there was a rumble and the entire tram suddenly lurched, throwing them both off balance. By some miracle, the hornet was able to recover first. Acting on instinct yet again, he slashed forward, causing her to stagger even more, before using what had to be the last of his strength to finally push her out of the moving box.

The young warrior leaned on the doorframe, panting heavily and glancing back towards the station, where the constructs and remaining sentry were angrily glaring after them, not even attempting to chase, as the tram fully entered the dark tunnel. A moment later, Max retreated inside, looking at his uncle, who was standing at the back control panel, clearly just as out of breath as him. The human responded with a tired, but relieved smile, which he returned. They'd gotten away, at least technically.

"We're going the wrong direction," the hornet uttered, basically collapsing onto one of the destroyed seats, as the last of his rush finally ran out.

"I- I know, Max," Adrian confessed, sitting down as well. "D'you have any idea where exactly?"

"No, Hornet didn't tell," Max spoke, "but I know that Deepnest, the place she's from, is somewhere this way. It sounded pretty harsh there, though." He sighed worriedly, thoughts momentarily drifting to her. Had she and the General even made it out of there?

"If that's the case, we'll have to watch out," the human replied, snapping him back to the conversation. "At least you have your, er, _nail. _I've seen how well you handle it now." He let out a small chuckle. "Really showed it to that guard lady."

He then leaned closer to the hornet. "Though they did a number on you too," he added, looming over the male's back, which _had_ actually started to hurt.

"I'm fine, uncle. It's nothing," Max grumbled, intent on withstanding it like the proper hornet he was.

"Really," Adrian asked, before lightly tapping what was probably the scratch, causing a jolt of hot pain that made him hiss out. "Cause that didn't sound like nothing."

"But it is, though," the bug argued, carefully feeling at the light 'wound', "at least for real life-or-death battle. I could've been hurt much worse, but I wasn't. And you just said I can handle myself."

"Yeah, I did, but you know it's not gonna stop me from looking out for you," his uncle replied, "_especially_, when it's life-or-death like this." He set a hand on Max's shoulder. "So just let me, okay kid?" The hornet looked back and nodded, unable to argue. "And don't get too _stinger_y. We still don't know where this goes," the human added slightly more sternly, letting out a small cough.

"Got it, sorry," the bug said with a small smile, getting one in return. They both fell silent for a bit, causing Max's thoughts to drift back to his worries.

"I wonder if Hornet's okay," he spoke up, sullen. "And Juss too. There were a lot of constructs in there, even for them."

"Ah, they'll be fine," Adrian said dismissively. "Whatever the General did to us, he can probably pull off again. Besides, you've seen more than me how good they can both fight, _her_ in particular."

"Yeah, she's just beyond amazing with her needle," Max agreed dreamily, unable to stop himself from picturing her.

"Hmm," the human hummed, sounding weirdly interested. "You two have become _real_ good friends, haven't you?"

The hornet could barely keep his eyes from going wide. Had he figured it out? It couldn't've been _that_ obvious, could it? He really didn't want it to be a big thing yet. After all, hopes aside, it _still_ wasn't clear to him how she felt.

"Yes, we have," he said cautiously, "just _very_ good friends. Really the only thing we can do, you know. This'd be much harder otherwise."

"Huh, I see," Adrian replied with a nod, seemingly buying it, to Max's great relief. "Still, I think we should be worrying 'bout making it out ourselves right now. Whenever this thing finally stops, that is."

Max murmured in agreement and the two fell silent again, only the tram's humming audible, as the rocky wall slid past outside. He also kind of hoped the ride would be over soon.

* * *

Fortunately, that proved to be true, as only a short time later, both the human and bug heard a different, louder rumble and looked through the back window to see a large stone gate open up in front of it, letting light through and revealing the smaller platform ahead. As it approached, the tram started to slow down, before finally lurching to a full halt right beside the stop.

Letting out a groan, Max got to his feet, swaying a bit. Though the short ride had been a very nice break, it hadn't been enough to recover from everything he'd gone through in the Basin. If anything, he felt sore again. Still, he knew it was probably best if they didn't stay for too long, so after Adrian had stood up as well, also seeming pretty weary, the two quickly staggered their way to the door.

Being the one with the nail, the hornet stepped outside first, curiously glancing around this new, dimmer cave. However, just as Adrian was about to follow, there was another rumble, to which the tram suddenly sprang into life again, causing the human to yelp and stumble forward onto the metal platform. Startled, Max quickly crouched down to help him back up.

"Thanks, Max," his uncle said, as he was pulled onto his feet again.

"Are you okay," the bug asked worriedly, partly supporting his weight.

"Yeah, I think so," the human replied, his tone not very confident. "Wow, good thing we got out of that thing." Both looked towards the large tramgate, which'd already closed again. "But we should get going," the man continued. "I'm pretty sure it didn't do that on its own."

Max nodded uneasily, then began to head further into the cave at a tolerable pace. He glanced around to see his uncle take a few shaky steps, before almost stumbling again, making him hurry back.

"You are _not_ okay, uncle," he said, once more getting under the human's arm. "Let me help."

"Alright, go ahead," Adrian spoke wearily. "I think that spark the General put in me just ran out. Sorry, I- I feel tired as hell. You saw how beaten up I was."

"Is not your fault," Max puffed, as they started clumsily heading forward. "Come on. Just follow me." He glimpsed the human giving him a nod and they continued walking through the gloomy cavern.

Although the hornet could still see fairly well, even he noticed how much darker their surroundings were. The passage ahead didn't look much better, some of the scents and sounds he could already make out from it making him feel _very_ uneasy. Max was now pretty much entirely sure they were in Deepnest.

"Sounds like a lot of scurrying," Adrian stated, as they neared the entrance. "You sure you can see in there?"

"Yeah, sure, just hold onto me," the bug replied, determined, before asking, curious: "Actually, uncle, could you tell how you ended up down there, with us?" At that, the man sighed.

"Okay, I'll try," he then spoke. "It's still a mess, though."

"Thanks," Max said, adding: "Also, watch out with your arm. Part of my blade's bared."

Moments later, they entered the darkness of Deepnest.

* * *

**ADRIAN**

* * *

With his nephew helpfully at his side, Adrian limped further into the dark tunnel, still not entirely convinced that the hornet could see any more than him in this place, since the only light there was came from white, dimly glowing roots in the ground. Even if he hadn't been tired and hurting, he probably couldn't have gotten far. What made it worse were the sounds, which unnerved him as much as they did Max, whose masked head didn't spend a moment still. All around them, he heard constant scurrying and chittering coming from the walls, some of it definitely from something dangerous.

Other than the kid's sword-nail, the only thing keeping the man from actual panic was trying to process what had gone down in that giant palace certainly not even an hour before.

Things had not gone well at all, even to Adrian that much was clear. However, he still had a hard time believing everything that'd happened, especially in regards to Juss and those _powers_ he'd shown. The man really didn't know how to feel about it. Didn't the General say his job was to protect the world from things just like that? He'd kept it secret too. Showed how much you could trust a politician. At least he was on their side, magicing the worst of his wounds, then getting him and Max out of there.

"Hey, how're you doing, uncle," Max suddenly whispered, almost spooking him.

"I'm fine, enough at least," the human said quietly, letting out a small cough. "How's it looking so far?"

"Ugh, I don't know," the changed boy replied, sounding annoyed. "There's been a few other passages, but I don't want us to get lost already. And all these scents are seriously keeping me on edge. Try to keep behind me, okay?"

Adrian nodded understandingly. Even he could feel how thick and smelly the air was, which only added to the discomfort. "Got it. You keep guiding," he encouraged. "We just have to get somewhere safer so *huff* we can rest a little more." He wasn't really sure how _safe_ it got around here.

"Okay, yeah, you're right," the hornet muttered back. "Let's do that."

The two kept making their way through the cave, not saying much else. Only a little while later, however, Max stopped entirely, causing Adrian to as well. Peering ahead in the glow from a bunch of the white roots, the man could see that they had reached a dead end. He looked askingly at the bug, who responded by pointing up, where he glanced to find a wide, black gap in the ceiling, which must've been a passage. He glared at the bug in disbelief. He can't have been serious!

"We _have_ to," the hornet whispered firmly. "Don't worry. It's my turn to help anyway."

He set Adrian to lean on the wall, then climbed up, quickly disappearing into the dark hole. A moment later, he reappeared on its side and extended a hand to the human. Though his arms didn't feel as awful as his legs did, getting up still took a fair bit of struggling from both of them. Thankfully, he soon made it, gratefully smiling at his nephew, who hopefully did the same behind his mask.

They continued the limp through the new, narrower passage, which was even more lightless. Adrian was pretty sure he could hear a noise right ahead, just out of sight. All of a sudden, there was an almost deafening rumble.

"Oh, _doma_, get back," Max yelled, forcefully pulling him against the cave wall. Trying to look, the human saw _something_ move past right next to them.

"What the hell is it," he asked, panicked.

"I don't know, it's huge," the hornet shouted back. "It- it kinda looks like a centipede!"

Adrian swore under his breath. This place was _very_ throughout with the bug theme. Keeping himself pressed against the wall, he inched after Max, the enormous monster beside them feeling endlessly long. Fortunately, after _some_ time, its back end finally seemed to go past him, the rumbling slowly starting to weaken.

"You okay, uncle," he heard Max ask, feeling him support his side again.

"Still standing," Adrian huffed, though he wasn't sure how much longer. His nephew hummed in agreement and they took a couple steps forward, before abruptly coming to another halt.

"There's a hole," the bug said, without him even asking. "Looks like another passage."

"Well, we've still got enough tunnel up here," the human replied, not wanting to tire himself any more. "Let's just pass it for now."

The hornet agreed and took to guiding him, as they started to slowly edge along what had to be the hole's side. During the crossing, the man noticed what sounded like the distant rumbling getting closer again. All of a sudden, it was loud again. Max gasped and shouted: "Another one! Look out!"

Before Adrian could even try anything, he was pushed into the hole, barely managing to shield his face, before painfully landing on the ground below. Groaning, he laid in place, feeling dangerously close to just blacking out. A few moments later, Max touched down next to him.

"Sorry I had to push you, uncle," he apologized, clearly concerned. "You have _no_ idea how close that was. Come on, I'll get you up."

Though unsure if he even could anymore, Adrian obliged, finding Max's held out hand and letting himself be pulled to his shaky, aching feet. Having done so, the two were on their way again, the human using the tunnel's wall for more support. Weirdly enough, this cave seemed a bit better lit than the others. Looking forward, he saw more light coming from ahead and quickly pointed it out to Max.

"What do you think that is? Other people, er, bugs?"

"Could be," the hornet replied warily. "Hopefully not sentries."

They continued towards the light as carefully as they could, in case the folks making it really weren't friendly. Soon, the opening into the lit cave started to become visible. However, just when even Adrian could clearly see it, something burst out of the ground with an angry screech, nearly throwing both of them off-balance.

"Stay behind me, uncle," Max said, drawing his weapon and heading against the silvery, knee-height _thing_, the man being left to lean on the wall, only able to look on, as the hornet slashed at the creature, which ferociously snapped back. Max let out a genuine growl, before bringing the nail straight down on its head.

Adrian watched, as he pulled his blade from the dead bug and resheathed it, glad he couldn't make out the details. Though he knew Max had done it before, it was still unnerving to witness his own nephew kill another living creature right in front of him, even if it had been necessary for their survival.

"Whew, that was something," the bug in question said.

"Sure. That was _you_ in there, right," Adrian asked, concerned. That 'murderous rush' story also still worried him.

"Yeah, I think so." Max got back to his side. "Now come on, we're almost there."

* * *

Not waiting for any more surprises, they made it through the passage. Having made it in, they looked around to see a much wider cave, which surprisingly didn't seem to have anyone else present. The only sign of life, weirdly enough, was a single metal sitting beside a pool of steaming, _glowing_ water fed by a stream coming from further in the cavern. The gentle sound drowned out a lot of the creepy noises from around, adding to the safe feeling. Still, for the moment, Adrian only cared for the seat and was quickly helped over by Max.

He leaned into it with a soft moan and closed his eyes, feeling himself start to drift off.

"Hey, uncle."

Annoyed, he looked to find Max sitting in the pool. "You should try this water. It feels really good."

Though a bit reluctant to leave the bench, he decided it couldn't hurt and crawled over to the steaming pond's side, testing it with his hand. God damn, the kid was right. Not only was the water nicely warm, there was also something _good_ about it, something vitalizing. He got further into the water, not giving a damn for his already ruined clothes.

They soaked there for what was probably a few minutes, occasionally sighing with relief.

The silence was broken when Max spoke up, disheartened: "What are we going to do now?" He looked at the human. "What do we do from here, uncle?"

"I- I'm not sure," he replied. Getting back to the Hive seemed much harder now. "I think we should at least try and find the others, have the General think of something." He frowned. "You know, that pale bastard seemed much stronger than he'd made him out to be."

"Uh-huh, he was," the hornet groaned. "We kinda had him at first, but he just kept getting more and more powerful." He shot a slightly accusing glance. "Got even worse when you showed up."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that," the man apologized.

"Do you think you can finally tell how that happened?"

Adrian nodded and began recount what little he could remember: How Apisia'd left him waiting alone, hearing the Call, running through the black haze and how much it'd hurt, finishing with how he had been brought back to reality by Juss, all the while Max listened silently.

"Wow. Thank mother for the General," he said once the human was finished "You think the king'd be able to do that to the army too?"

"Nah, doubt it," Adrian assured, "I was just one guy. There's bound to be loads of our boys up there."

"Alright, I think. Though, we're lucky that your speaking charm's still intact."

"I guess that's magic for ya," the man agreed, glancing down at the ornament still hanging onto his tattered shirt. Other than a few scratches, it was completely fine.

Max stood up. "Well, you can doze off if you want," he said, stepping out of the pool. "I'll be on lookout in case anything comes near." He left Adrian's view.

However, the human then realized that he wasn't the least bit tired anymore. Quickly getting up himself, he found that any pain or weakness in his legs was also gone. The glowy water was a real miracle cure!

He glanced over to see the hornet standing at the far end of the cave, looking around with his face pointed strangely upwards. Confused, he walked up to him, giving a tap on the shoulder.

"Huh?" The bug turned around. "Oh, the water made you feel better as well."

"Sure did." Adrian smirked, before asking: "What's the matter? You look like you're searching for something."

"Yes, I am." The kid became more serious. "I picked up this scent and I- I think we should follow it. Everything else I've sensed here has felt at least a little dangerous, but this one feels _good_, inviting even. It's almost like a call."

The man's eyes widened. "Max, I just told you about how my mind was messed with," he warned. "This could be something similar. You shouldn't trust it."

"I don't think so. I'm fine otherwise," his nephew protested. "My eyes look normal too, see? There's something _familiar_ about this smell and I really think it could help us. Maybe it'll at least be good prey."

Adrian wasn't convinced. "Are you completely _sure_ this isn't bad?"

"Yeah, definitely," Max affirmed. "Besides, we don't know where else to go."

The adult sighed, still wary, but having to admit he was right. "Fine, we'll try it, then," he said. "Just _please_ don't get us killed."

"I _won't_." Max nodded firmly, turning towards the cave exit. "Now let's go."

"But not yet." Adrian responded, prompting the bug to look back.

"I'd like to dry off some more before that," he added, having started to shiver a bit.

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

The first thing Hornet noticed upon waking up, was how cold and sore she felt. Opening her eyes, the warrior found herself surrounded by complete darkness, unable to see anything. Confused, she quickly rose to her feet, looking around for even the faintest hint of light and trying to recall what had happened to her. All of a sudden, the halfling realized that her new needle wasn't in her grasp, nor around the spot where she'd just laid.

Then, it all came back to her: Their invasion of the White Palace, the lengthy, failed battle against the Pale King, how she'd nearly lost Max, before having to flee down into the dungeons with _Yuss_. And finally, how'd they'd plummeted down.

Into the Abyss.

Hornet became utterly terrified, understanding why everything was so lightless. There simply was none in the depths of the black Void that she was now in the middle of, alone and without a weapon. Even worse, the halfling felt no scents other than a linger of the General's, likely from her cloak. She wasn't among the kind that easily travelled by touch alone, which meant she was entirely trapped and blind. Who knew what ancient monstrosities lurked about down here, ready to devour lost little younglings like the beasts in Midwife's tales.

Her dread growing, Hornet felt herself start to breathe faster, as she rapidly turned her head, trying to make _something_ out.

"I see that you're awake," a deep, familiar voice suddenly spoke up, almost causing her to shriek out.

"Huh? Hyu-man? Where are you," the bug shakily asked in reply, before glancing to the side and seeing a single, tiny glowing circle stare at her through the dark, sending chills down her shell.

"I'm right here, Hornet. Don't worry," the male replied calmly. "How are you feeling?"

"Not very well," the warrior confessed. "I cannot see a thing here."

"Hmm?" Her companion sounded surprised. "Then we'd better fix that." As he said so, the darkness around them was promptly filled with warm, golden light, allowing her to properly see the hyu-man, who was leaned against a mound of black rock, with his glowing right hand held forth in a way a bug would've a lantern. "

While it also wasn't much brighter than one, it was enough for Hornet. She stepped closer to _Yuss_, already feeling safer. This comfort quickly gave way to annoyance.

"Why didn't you wake me up," she demanded, glaring at him. "I thought I was on my own. You saw how frightened I was!"

"Exactly. And that got you up and alert," the General spoke, audibly smug. "It was quite funny too."

Embarrassed and angry, the female was about to snap back, before being stopped by the soldier: "Better watch your tone with me, young lady. You've seen what I can do now." To emphasize, he raised the glowing hand, which the warrior now noticed was without its glove.

This and the sudden authoritative tone had their effect.  
"I- Excuse me," Hornet found herself sullenly muttering. The male gave a single nod, leading to a short, but uncomfortable silence. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something long and sharp glisten just outside the glow's reach, quickly recognizing it regardless. "Excuse me," she said again, before taking off.

Stooping down, the warrior picked up the blade she'd been gifted, holding back the urge to embrace it. She held it firmly, feeling a lot more confident, especially regarding what her companion had just said. Eyes narrowing, Hornet sent him a sideways glare. What'd given him the right? Honestly, what even was this magic he possessed? Earlier in the palace, she'd been entirely set on escape and hadn't had to make sense of it, but now, questions finally arose in her mind. How had he known so much when it came to battling the Pale King?

Thinking about it now, the color of his powers looked considerably similar to that of the-

"General," Hornet called, pointing her needle towards him. "I believe it is time you gave me some answers." In response, the soldier raised his other hand.

"I know and I'm sorry for that threat," he spoke, regret in his tone. "It was _really_ uncalled for and I should've handled myself better, alright?"

Though surprised by the apology, the warrior quickly dismissed it. "You know that is not what I meant," she shouted angrily, her words echoing. "This magic you use. How do you have it? Max told me hyu-mans can't use magic. Are you even one of their _kind_?"

"Calm yourself, Hornet, you know where we are," the General said in a stern voice, warily glancing around, before sighing deeply. "I understand that you're frustrated and I can't really blame you for it. It's true that I've kept you in the dark concerning my nature, as well as other things." His tone grew heavier. "Things you honestly have _every_ right to be told, which I now plan to respect."

"What manner of _things_," the warrior asked with dwindling anger, though with her needle still raised at him. "Can I even trust what you say?"

"Hornet, come on. You _know_ I'm not the enemy here," the General pleaded. "I truly wish to help you, all of you. Please, just lower your blade, so I may explain what I can."

Curiosity getting the better of her, Hornet nodded, pointing her precious weapon to the ground. Then, still a tad skeptical, she hesitantly approached the male.

"Tell me, then," she began, standing in front of him, "Are you truly hyu-man?"

"Yes, I am," her companion affirmed, "though it may look slightly otherwise." He waved his glowing hand again.

"Indeed. How is it that you have this magic," Hornet asked, yet inclined to believe what Max had once said. "I know ordinary hyu-mans do not."

The soldier harrumphed. "What makes you think you know so much about humans," he replied. "Humans know little about humans, your striped little _friend_ included. They don't even know it either. However, you're not wrong about me. I am indeed special, to put it very simply. Actually, I'm something similar to _you_." He looked straight at the bug.

"Hmm? How come?" The young female was confused. "What have _we_ in common?"

"You and I are both descended from gods, Hornet," the hyu-man began, "though with you it's much more direct than with me. You see, I hail from an old bloodline of humans, whose roots go back thousands of years to powerful ancient higher beings just like your father." Hornet winced at the mention. "_Sorry_," he quickly said in reply, then kept explaining: "Thisancestry has left me a natural connection to magic, along with _other_ forces. It's helped, but it's also left its mark. See?"

He moved his hand closer, the light from it dimming slightly, which let the bug make out patterns of glowing symbols on the soft shell. "And considering how powerful _he _is I'm more than certain the ability's in you as well, Hornet, waiting to be awakened, like- like I once did mine."

He sighed deeply, finished, as the warrior could only gape, her eyes wide, unsure if she was even able to fully grasp what'd just been said. Other higher beings? She'd heard there were more far beyond the cliffs, but had never given it much thought before.

"I'm sorry. I know this is a _lot_ for you to take in," _Yuss_ spoke. "And it's okay if you don't, at least not right now. We've got time, hopefully." Both sent uneasy glances at the darkness around them.

"I- I truly have no clue what to make of most of _that_," Hornet then said, finding her voice. "But do you truly mean to tell that part of _his_ power carried over to me?" The General nodded. "I always took it that I only inherited his form. I was never told of _this_. I wasn't even taught any magic." She frowned, realizing the probable cause. "It wasn't favored in Deepnest."

Back in her first youth, even the Weavers had always made her focus on battling and endurance, despite weaving their own spells. Other than charms, she'd almost never had any real dealings with magic, as it'd otherwise become a rare sight during the Infection.

"I see. That _is_ unfortunate. But even then, you were trained to survive and fight." The hyu-man stood up and motioned at her. "And look how well you've done that. You guarded this damned kingdom with your blade and skills alone. You even stood a chance against an empowered god. That's no easy feat and I really have to give my respects."

Hornet would've smiled. However, the words brought her back to their current situation and how grave it was.

"You may, even, but how is that going to help us now," she asked sullenly. "We _lost_." She huffed, as other questions finally formed in her mind.

"And this _tale_ of yours, these explanations. Why couldn't you tell us these 'important' things before? Of your abilities as well." Hornet was starting to get angry again, her voice rising. "In fact, why did you make so little use of them against the Wyrm? We might've still defeated him!"

The warrior seethed, as the hyu-man raised his hand. "Hornet, I'm-"

"And you lied of his strength," she cut in. "You boasted that he was still weak and that we'd swiftly set things right, yet he overpowered us with ease. Why even believe we could face him like that? He nearly killed _Max_!"

"Because I made a mistake," the General loudly shouted back, his echoing words silencing the female.

"I overestimated us and was misled and I am _sorry_!" He hung his head. "It's my fault we lost, I admit it. The preparations may've gone well, I'd say Max's training especially, but I still had them be too quick. I- I was so entirely confident that _bastard_ wouldn't be able attempt anything serious before us that when he did kill the White Lady, I just got angry and didn't even suspect what it might've entailed."

He paused, sighing harshly, prompting the warrior to ask: "What did murdering her have to do with his power, then? Are you saying that somehow enhanced it?"

"Exactly," the hyu-man said darkly. "The Lady was a higher being as well. Their kind may be powerful and immortal, but their life is directly linked to the magic coursing through them. Do you remember the king's nail?"

"Ghost's nail," Hornet corrected. That the king dared to use such a noteworthy blade only heightened her fury at him. How had his sentries even come upon it?

"Its name aside," _Yuss_ went on, "not only did he stab the Lady, but also used it to rob her of her energy, take it for himself. He kept his own power concealed too, so I could only sense _her_ dying. He didn't fully drain her either, but left a cruelly small bit that she couldn't hope to survive from." He hissed at the ground. "That _fuck_. Not even _my _father did something so-"

He stopped himself. "I'm sorry, you get the point."

Hornet nodded, understanding his outrage.

However, though her own anger had faded, she still wasn't wholly satisfied. "But why all that secrecy regarding your powers?"

Her companion looked up. "Oh come on, Hornet, we've only known each other for three days. I believed quickly defeating the king would grant me a better opportunity to properly explain these things to you. It's not something I can trust anyone with. Most of my kind doesn't know of them."

"Well, you aren't among them here," the spiderling argued. "You could've used them more. Why didn't you?"

The hyu-man sighed. "To be honest," he replied, "I prefer to steer away from them if possible. You can fault me for it, but I just do. Besides, here, I had to anyway. The same way I sensed out the king's yet-growing power before, he could've just as easily detected mine if I hadn't kept most of it _hidden_. At the palace, that became pointless."

"Yet you're using them now," Hornet warily pointed out, to which he let out a chuckle.

"Relax, a simple light's not enough to be noticeable." He glanced around. "Regardless, wherever this darkness down here has come from, it's definitely thick enough to veil me from him, even with his new strength. He likely thinks we're dead already."

The female was slightly relieved. That gave them at least a small chance at survival. Still, matters didn't look good at all. "Even if so, defeating him will now be nigh impossible," she said, disheartened.

"It'll be much harder, yes," the hyu-man agreed. "And there'll be a time to worry about it. First, though, we need to get out of this place and get back with the others. Do you know where the entrance might be?"

The warrior shook her head "No, I've not ventured this far before," she said. "But couldn't you just send us away? You seem rested enough now."

"I am, but sending both of us would already reveal us to the king," her companion replied, "and I can't just go alone and leave you here, now can I?"

The halfling's eyes widened. "N- no, you definitely can't." _This much_ dark still frightened her. "Still, I don't know which way to go."

_Yuss_ chuffed, saying: "Then it's good we don't have many options."

He raised the lit hand. Finally taking a proper look outside the glow, Hornet could make out they were on a modestly sized rocky island jutting out of a smooth sea of pure blackness, seemingly bigger than even the Blue Lake. Looking around, she also better saw the tall spire they were standing close to, as well as a series of dark rocks leading over the Void. Neither path looked very trustworthy.

"So, which way do we choose," the hyu-man asked. "It's your call."

"I- I think we should follow the lower path," Hornet replied. Although it lead upward, her instinct told not to trust the tower. She hoped it was right. However, she also didn't want to waste any more time.

"Let's get going, hyu-man."

He looked at her. "Please, Hornet, just call me Lembit."

That took the Warrior aback. Were even important hyu-mans this informal when it came to names. At least his made sense to say. Though not as much as Max's-

She shook her head clear. They had to go

* * *

The two made their way across the rocks. _Yuss_, being the light-being, jumped first and the warrior followed, taking great care not to touch or even come close to the dark liquid below. Surprisingly soon after, they reached genuine land again, starting down a trail, which soon lead to a tunnel in the dark cavern's wall, strengthening Hornet's confidence she'd indeed chosen the right path.

However, she still kept cautiously close to Lembit, as they headed into the smaller cave. She still faulted the General for what his arrogance had cost them, but now hoped he'd be able to make up for them. She also found her mind drifting to the hyu-man's tales, becoming more and more curious about his 'special' race.

"Er, Lembit," she addressed, getting an asking hum. "I think I'd like to know more of this line you said you belong to. What is it you're called?"

"There aren't enough of us that we'd have a name like that," _Yuss_ replied. "Closest thing now would probably be my own family name or just half-blood. Though once, when there were still other lines like ours, regular humans that saw them as a threat called them _Tainted_."

Hornet grimaced. "How many are there of you now," she asked, sympathetic.

"Two, me included."

"Oh." She promptly felt guilty for asking. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We're enough," he assured.

"Well, if there are so few of you, where do you reside," the female queried. "Where do you serve as General?" Of things Max had told her of the surface, she knew hyu-mans lived across quite a number of different tribes, Hallownest being in the middle of a great one known as _Amerikah_.

"Well, it is a fairly small nation that's quite far from here. One which my family's considered itself a part of for a long time," Lembit began, his tone growing softer. "First of us were even kings there. Its people are resilient, lived through quite a lot." He sighed. "They can be stubborn as hell sometimes, but they're _my_ people and damn it _all_ if I don't love them."

Although moved, Hornet just had to huff, which her companion noticed.

"You don't like me swearing, do you?"

"It is simply good manners not to," she shot back. "I thought you'd be one to follow them better. You did before."

"I'm a soldier. It's habit to us," the General said. "Still, I'll try not to if you so wish."

The warrior nodded thankfully. "Please do."

"Alright," he agreed, before mumbling: "Just hoped I'd get to be m-"

He abruptly cut himself off, halting in place. Alert, the warrior quickly looked back forward. In the darkness ahead, which somehow seemed more intense than before, she caught sight of multiple pairs of pure white orbs, silently staring at them. Glancing behind, she saw they were there as well. They were surrounded.

"What are these," _Yuss_ whispered.

"I haven't a clue," Hornet replied, firmly grasping her needle.

For a few moments, the two stared at the white 'eyes', who replied with the same, until one pair approached. As a shadowy being floated into the General's light, the halfling's eyes suddenly widened. Although their color was now that of pure black, she still clearly recognized those horns.

'Ghost,' she could only mouth.

Then, it spoke.

"_**Greetings, sister."**_

* * *

**So, if memory serves correctly, this Fanfic turns one year old today. Yay!**

**With this proper start to year 2, I'd just like you to keep the constructive criticism coming, since I'm not sure if I handled all the exposition in this chapter that well. I'd also really like to know if I should keep the dialouge format from the Interlude chapter or go back to what I did here, so just lemme know.**

**Sorry to keep you waiting, complicated business. Next one won't take so long. R&R**


	26. Chapter 22: Family Feuds and Confessions

Chapter 22: 'Family' Feuds and Confessions

**Please read the author's description.**

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

The warrior gaped at the dark, yet familiar being in front of her, before quickly collecting herself.

"Ghost," she deadpanned. "You speak."

"_**Quite so, sister,"**_ the former vessel affirmed, their voice, wherever it came from, unnervingly whispery. **"**_**For it**_**, **_**you have only our Void to thank, alongside many other things**_**."**

"About that, we shall see," Hornet stated, slightly wary of the once-short hero's praise for the darkness. Then again, it was which he appeared to be formed of now. "I take it you've been residing, ugh, _here_ since we battled the Hollow Knight and Infection?"

"_**Yes**_**,"** her 'sibling' hissed, needlessly lengthening the word. **"**_**My defeat of the Radiance freed me from my shell and reunified me with the Void and our **_**other**_** siblings**_**." **To the warrior's shock, a black tendril then burst out of their backside, waving towards the rest of the white orbs in the darkness.

"_**We've all been **_**more**_** than eager to meet you once again, you know,"**_the shade continued. _**"Yet enough of us. What is it that's brought you tumbling into our Void, **_**sister**_**?"**_

"How did you-," the warrior started, before deciding not to bother (though the idea of being spied on did annoy her a little). "Never mind. Our coming here is a long story. A great number of things have happened in your absence, the gravest of them being the return of the Pale King," She sighed deeply, "our _father_."

"_**Do **_**not**_** call him that**_," Ghost growled in reply. _**"My sole parent is the Void. And it knows already of the Wyrm's disquieting return, as well as of his powers' sudden growth not long ago, though not how that came to be. You fell from the Palace Grounds. I take it you do."**_

Hornet nodded joylessly, saying: "Indeed. I'm not very learned of the specifics, but I know he gained his strength by draining the White Lady and bringing denizens from the surface under his rule."

"Yes, he's got quite the plan for invasion," added Lembit, who'd been quiet thus far. "The-"

"_**Silence, **_**Light-Bringer**_**," **_the Void being roared, taking the halfling aback, _**"and be thankful. Our Void would've consumed you already were you not helping Hornet see!"**_

"I also saved her life, you know," the hyu-man replied darkly, his hand getting brighter, "so I advise you be a tad more polite or she'll be seeing even better." The shade started shying away, as the light became painful to look at.

"Lembit, _stop it_," Hornet spoke up (perhaps a bit too worriedly). "You shouldn't anger the Void. We've a common enemy here."

"Alright," her companion said offhandedly, his light dimming at once. "I'll be friendly with you, _little shadow_. Though I'd also like to know more of this Void of yours. What exactly is it? It feels powerful, yet I cannot sense anything truly in control. How come?"

"_**You wouldn't know of it**_**, surface dweller," **Ghost growled. _**"While our Void is beyond ancient, it hasn't been unified enough to have a mind alike the beings' above, only a will. One, which **_**we**_** are to carry out." **_They shot Hornet a sharp glance, forcing her to suppress a shudder.

"Would _it_ be willing to let you help us, then," she stated, hopeful. With the higher being's strength, they undoubtedly needed allies to stand the slightest chance. It'd also have been nice to fight alongside her 'sibling' for once.

"_**The Pale King is as much our Void's foe as was the Radiance, sister," **_the shade replied, _**"and**_** we**_** shall see him vanquished in its name."**_

"That won't be easy if it's as unfocused as you said it is," the General spoke, his arms crossed, "However strong, a mindless force of nature can't hope to match a Keeper, especially one like the king now is. He's even made his constructs from your _dear _Void."

"_**I know! I've had to face them myself," **_Ghost said, anger in their tone. _**"But be aware, **_**Lembit**_**, that our power isn't wholly without mind anymore. As wearer of the Void Heart, I now command my siblings as Lord of Shades." **_They looked towards Hornet again. _**"Despite that, we've not yet enough strength to truly leave our Abyss. For that, we need **_**you**_**, sister." **_

The hyu-man let out a confused hum, reflecting the female's own feelings. "How so," she asked. "How can _I_ help you out of this place?"

"_**You are strong by nature," **_Ghost began, _**"born of god and beast. And you've only gained in your ability by defending the ruins of Hallownest for so long, frozen in time as you both were-"**_

"Get to your point, shade," Lembit interrupted. "What do you want her to do?"

The Void being growled at him, before facing the warrior. _**"Sister, our Void senses that your power joined to its' would grant it the means to finally advance above. Thusly, my want of you is simple." **_Suddenly, another black tendril came out of them, this time held out like a hand. _**"Take hold of me and become one with our Void, with us, so that I may mold you into my equal. Together, we shall reclaim Hallownest!"**_

There was silence, as Hornet stared at the shade, her mind slowly grasping what they'd just told her. To join with the darkness? Indeed, they needed aid, yet she'd come to understand the Void was ultimately as malevolent as the Infection. While she would've lent a hand to her still-heroic 'sibling', the same definitely wasn't the case for their new realm. There had to be other ways.

"I am sorry, Ghost," she spoke, "but I will have to refuse. Now please, move aside so we may be on our way."

A 'wave' seemed to ripple through the blackness surrounding them.

"_**That,"**_ Ghost snarled, _**"was **_**not**_** an offer, Hornet."**_

Before the warrior could react, the shadow lunged forth. Just as it reached her, however, Lembit swiftly punched at it, sending them back with a burst of gold. Coming to a halt, the 'shade lord' let out a loud roar, several new tendrils bursting out of their sides, as the many-eyed darkness began to quickly flow closer. Frightened, Hornet looked to the hyu-man, whose hand brightened, until it released another, stronger blast, forcing the shadow away. Right after, he pointed forwards, unleashing a bolt of light that created a tunnel through the lively blackness.

"Get your bearings, Hornet, we are leaving," he then shouted at the female, who gave a firm nod, to which he promptly started into it.

* * *

Hornet rushed after him through the darkness without looking back, fleeing the Abyss the sole thing on her mind. That did not change when another roar sounded from behind them, followed by a nightmarishly deep voice, seemingly from everywhere, saying:

"**Chase…Extinguish…Consume"**

The tunnel was beginning to get rather long. Fortunately, she soon discerned the air feeling slightly colder, hoping that meant its end was near. That proved to be true, as she suddenly sensed the walls opening up, while the ground beneath turned a lot rougher, starting to feel like _shell? _Yes! They were almost out!

The General then stopped in front of her, raising his hand to better light the wider chasm, letting the halfling see that its floor was made up of hundreds, if not thousands of lifeless, cracked masks of vessels.

"The he- _What_ happened here," the hyu-man asked.

"Horrific things," Hornet replied darkly. "Yet it is our way out. Look above." She pointed upwards, where, in the darkness, was a faint speck of white light from the lumafly lantern she'd left there to find her way back from her short explorations.

"Okay, let's not waste any more time, then," Lembit stated. "How do we get up there?"

The warrior showed towards the lowest ledge. "From the-," she began, before seeing a pair of white eyes staring down from it, quickly joined by several others. A moment later, she heard what sounded like the howling of wind, as the darkness surrounding them once again became more intense, pushing in against the hyu-man's light. She lowered herself, glancing around. Here, they at least stood a chance.

"_**Sister, why do you flee?" **_Needle at the ready, Hornet flashed around to see the tendriled figure of Ghost float out of the wall of darkness, staring at them.

"_**We only wish to **_**aid**_** you," **_they spoke. _**"Why do you reject it?"**_

"Because she's smart enough not to trust a darkness like yours," Lembit replied in the female's stead, to which she nodded, though a tad uneasily.

"_**Truly? Why can she not say so herself, then," **_the shade asked, before turning towards her. _**"Sister, I know you are wise beyond your years. You must see that our Void's is the only way to win. I ask that you show your resolve and accept it, so that it may remake you."**_

"No, Ghost. There ought to be better means," the warrior argued back, starting to become fed up with her sibling's flattering.

"_**There aren't. It is already best," **_the shadow insisted. _**"I do not want to ask you again, Hornet." **_Their voice deepened. **"Come here!"**

Hornet realized there was no chance she'd keep things civil anymore. They could hardly be called so already. She glanced towards the General and gave the slightest nod, quickly getting one in reply. She hoped he _did _understand her.

"Very well," she then coldly said, before dashing at the shade with the speed of a Mantis. She slashed straight through the inky being, who, to the warrior's surprise, didn't let out another roar or cry.

"_**So be it," **_they instead hissed, seemingly unaffected, as two of their tendrils lashed at her. She swiftly parried one, dodging out the other's way, only to suddenly come mask-to-mask with a different shade that promptly struck her in the midsection, the strong blow slamming her backwards, nearly off her feet. Quickly shaking her head to recover, she looked ahead to behold multiple added joining Ghost from the darkness.

Glaring silently, the 'Shade Lord' simply waved a tendril, causing two to break off from the rest and hover towards her. She tightened her grip, as they grew ever closer, until finally lunging at them, piercing one, which this time had the desired outcome. Before she could cut down the other, however, it was slashed in half by a brightly lit greatnail. Hornet looked to see the hyu-man standing beside her, his hand still aglow as well.

"_**They will return, you know. Void cannot be killed," **_Ghost taunted, _**"Even now, you are beyond outnumbered."**_

"Perhaps. We're yet to see if outmatched," the General replied indifferently, then leaned closer to Hornet, quietly saying: "Distract them as well as you can. I'll focus on securing us a way up."

The warrior nodded, her eyes narrowing at the shades, more of which were floating into view. She lowered her stance, as a greater pack drew closer, before launching forth yet again. She struck with her blade, while avoiding her 'siblings'' own swift, yet evidently powerful blows. Still, they were no match for her speed and soon began to sink back into the ground of shells, only for others to take their place right after, forcing her to keep on the move and fighting.

Amongst the battle, she glimpsed, as her companion swung at three shades, before grabbing one of the broken masks and hurling it at a fourth. He then pointed upward with his nail, suddenly disappearing in a gold flare. Hornet's alarm was cut short by an attacking shade, whom she quickly dodged, then disposed of. Noticing she could still see, the halfling looked up to catch her source of light standing alone on the ledge, waving for her to join him. She glanced angrily at Ghost, before leaping up herself.

"I took it you couldn't do so here," she said indignantly.

"I said I couldn't send us out. This was only short range," the hyu-man replied, looking up. "Now keep after me, will you!" He raised his nail and once again flashed out of sight, his shine reappearing above on the next outcrop. Letting out a huff, Hornet jumped onto the chasm wall to follow.

"_**You are not leaving here," **_thundered from below.

The warrior made it to the ledge just as the first of the shades reached her, grasping at her cloak. She stabbed it with the back of her needle and climbed on to rejoin the General, the two finding themselves surrounded already. They fought off a couple more poor attempts of attack, before suddenly being met with the dark figure of Ghost rising to meet them.

"It'd be rather nice if you left us alone already," Lembit shouted, aiming his blade at them, the spiderling following suit.

"_**We shall consider so once we've claimed that who is ours,"**_the shade replied, again glaring at the female.

"In your wildest visions," she growled, before darting at them, dealing rapid needle-hits, most of which were swiftly blocked by the Shade Lord's tendrils that quickly forced her back beside the hyu-man.

"_**It boggles our mind why you struggle like this, Hornet,"**_ Ghost spoke up. _**"Surely you're aware that even if you managed to fell the Pale King on your lonesome, you would have to take his place."**_

The warrior frowned. Why did they have to bring it up like this? She'd hoped she could forget of it for the time being. "I- I am, yes," she answered. "What of it? It can't be changed."

"_**Yet it can, if you'd only let us," **_her sibling insisted. _**"After all, it is actually I who claimed the King's Brand."**_

Hornet's eyes widened slightly. They had a point. Perhaps she- _No!_ She couldn't, besides: "You may've, but I no longer sense it on you, nor your Void," she stated. "And I- I'm certain I can handle my responsibilities."

"_**You are surprisingly naïve today," **_the Shade Lord uttered. _**"No matter. You'll soon be better."**_ They roared, prompting the siblings to charge at the two. Shifting to a defensive stance, the female fought off the first few, her companion slashing at them as well.

All of a sudden, she was nearly knocked down by Ghost's tendril, barely managing to parry another. Their owner just stared at her, making her hiss in return, eyes focused on them. _Now _they'd fight proper.

"Heads up, incoming," she heard suddenly Lembit call, briefly glimpsing more Void beings approach, before being caught off guard yet again, this time from behind.

"Oh, f- _Hornet_," the hyu-man shouted, blocked off by the attacking shades, as she failed to regain balance and stumbled forward.

"_**Yes, to me," **_Ghost hissed, a number of tendrils grabbing hold of her. Despite her struggles, they managed to pull her closer to their lord. _**"It's best this way**_," said the once-hero, another inky arm plunging at her face.

For a couple, terrifying moments, Hornet was in cold darkness, unable to breathe, with her mind starting to numb. Then, she felt the hold on her needle-arm loosen slightly, prompting her to thrash it forth, which caused the grasp on her to falter even more. She kicked at the Void, sending her falling out and back to the ledge, somehow onto her feet.

"-rnet. Hornet," she heard _Yuss_ call her, breathing heavily, while simply glaring at Ghost.

"_**I see."**_

"_Hornet!" _The General grabbed her shoulder, shouting: "Listen only to the sound of my voice, okay! Grab my arm and be ready to climb!"

This brought her back to the moment and she nodded, though confused, taking hold of the hyu-man as asked. Then, before the surrounding shades could make for them again, the female saw a burst of yellow and suddenly found herself in midair by the chasm's side. Latching on, she saw the next ledge just above and swiftly began climbing to it, reaching it ahead of her companion. Having pulled herself up, she caught her breath, looking up to the metal exit platform, which was no longer far. Moments later, Lembit made it on as well.

"Not much more to go," he huffed. "How are you doing, Hornet?"

"I- I am well," she assured.

"_**Of that, you are mistaken," **_Ghost declared, catching up to them already, alone. _**"I see it now. Your mind's been weakened, robbed of years of willpower."**_

"When'll _you_ see she won't hear your nonsense," the hyu-man retorted.

"_**Brought back to the youngling's you're now treated as,"**_the shade continued, ignoring him, _**"at the mercy of its own feelings. Listen to me, Hornet. If you follow him above now, you will inevitably fail. Stay and I can grant you back your unwavering nature." **_Their Void tendrils reached towards Hornet, waving as if wanting her to approach them again.

She frowned, the vessel's words resonating with her. In a way, being able to feel more _did _make her weaker. She couldn't really think herself as ruthless as she'd once been anymore. Then again, did she need to be? Her time as a lone protector was long over.

"I'm not going to trade it for servitude of the Void," she spoke. "I _shan't_ yield, Ghost."

"_**Why**_," her sibling snarled. _**"What have you left other than us?"**_

The halfling's eyes widened. "What?"

"_**What have you left, **_**sister**_**?" **_The shade now sounded smug. _**"Your mother is dead, as is most of your tribe, the Weavers have left. Even the Hive I know shall soon be done for. And any other bug is lost to the king already."**_

"I-," Hornet stuttered, unsure of how to reply. They once again spoke the truth, though a far graver one this time. She did have very little left. And while she'd come to terms with her mother's passing, the thought of Vespa fading still harrowed.

"**Face it**_**," **_Ghost went on,_** "you've nothing but grief up there. Grief only strengthened by your weak mind. **_**Our Void**_** can free you from it, so be wise and give in already! You're all but**__**alone without us!"**_

"I'm not- You do not know that," the female argued desperately. But were they that much off? Save the Hive and its queen, the only proper acquaintances (or even allies) she had were the General, Adrian _and Max. _He was a _friend_, even more in her mind.

"_**Is that so? Tell me, then, which of those undoubtedly few actually care for you," **_her sibling asked, _**"other than as a mere compeer or **_**instrument**_**." **_They glanced to Lembit.

"I feel baselessly accused," the hyu-man muttered, then saying. "Pay him no mind, Hornet. As I said, it's _nonsense_."

"_**Unfortunately for you, she's begun to see the **_**truth."**

Indeed, the warrior wasn't at all certain anymore. She might've _felt_ for Max, but still hadn't an idea how the hornet thought of her. Would he miss her _that_ much? "But they're-," she stuttered, hopelessly looking back at the General, whom it didn't amuse.

"Oh, come on," he groaned, "you're really letting him get to you? Hornet, you needn't worryabout Vespa. She's not going anywhere for a good while. And besides, she's not the only bug yearning to see you again."

_What?_ Hornet's eyes widened anew. Did he truly mean-

"_**Heed not his falsehoods, sister," **_Ghost hissed, _**"**_**We **_**are all you-"**_

"_Shut it_, I wasn't finished." Lembit snapped, before looking back at her. "Wouldn't _you_ want to give him that, to make him happy?" The female could only stare at him, dumbfound, to which he simply nodded. "Yes, _I know _you do. Now live up to it!"

He knew. And he _liked _it. For some good reason, that made her feel relieved, very much so. Encouraged, she nodded back, before facing towards Ghost with a firm glare.

"_**So you truly have one," **_they muttered, then shook their head. _**"Oh, be sensible, sister. A mere pash does not outweigh family. Cease these excuses and accept your fate."**_

"We are family through blood and naught else," Hornetspoke sternly, "and Max is nothing _mere_. He is my friend and _will_ be my partner!"

"_**Hornet, I am **_**warning**_** you," **_her sibling growled.

"Go ahead," the warrior replied coldly, shifting into a battle stance. "Neither you, nor your Void can daunt me anymore."

"_**Very well. You've been allowed enough chances,"**_ the Shade Lord boomed in a deep tone, as uncountable pairs of white eyes suddenly rose into the darkness around, surrounding the two within moments. _**"Simply remember, Hornet, that I've bested you twice before."**_

"Hmm, really," the General asked dismissively, his nail brought up as well. "Hasn't quite felt like it so far."

"He is right, Ghost," Hornet spoke. "You surpassed me as a valiant knight. Now you're no more than another beast."

"**Beast? **_**I shall show you a beast," **_the warped vessel roared, their tendrils reaching out, before slamming back together, causing the swarm of Void to quickly flood inward. Taken aback, the warrior barely angled her blade to parry, yet to no effect. For an instant, everything went black again.

"_Back!_ _All of you_," the echoing voice of Lembit yelled, the darkness being forced away by a surge of his magic, before more quietly stating: "Okay, so perhaps we understated him a bit. There's _a lot_ of them."

"Agreed," Hornet breathed, slicing through an attacking shade. "How've so many returned already?"

"Well, your little talk may've helped it along," the hyu-man said accusingly, glancing up. "Doesn't matter. We're getting out. I hope you still remember how to dash."

"I do, yes. Why," Hornet asked, felling another, as even more approached.

"Just make sure you land on the d- _platform_," her companion ordered, before gripping the back of her midsection with his free hand and promptly launching her upwards. Momentarily shocked at flying through the air, the warrior then felt memories of using her old needle spring up and swiftly realigned herself towards the metal ledge, alighting onto it. She'd made it, but alone.

Having caught her breath, she quickly looked back down from the edge and was frightened to find the hyu-man's warm light missing amid the darkness. Then, however, she caught a small flash, closely followed by several others, before, at last, there was an eruption of gold and she saw him flying up. Moments later, he landed beside her.

"That, that was _close_," he breathed out, resheathing his nail, as his hand's glowing died down. "So, this is the exit?" Hornet was about to affirm, but got interrupted by an angry cry from the Abyss below.

A single, large shade flew up, one Hornet quickly recognized as the vessel's slain together by her and Ghost to end the Infection. She lowered herself, prepared to kill them once more. The Hollow Knight responded in earnest, lunging at her, before being abruptly grabbed and punched by Lembit.

"_No!_ Bad! Away with you," he shouted, dealing another blow, which sent the creature tumbling back down.

Without another word, the hyu-man then turned back around and began heading for the exit into the Basin, wordlessly motioning for the wordless halfling to follow.

* * *

They crossed through the Abyss' gate. To Hornet, the natural darkness of the cave paled in comparison to the chasm's she had just braved. A part of her still couldn't believe she'd done so. Another couldn't believe the things she had learned down there.

"Lembit," she addressed, "excuse my disbelief, but do you honestlymean I'd be able to do something akin to _that_?" She waved back the way they'd come.

"Most likely," the hyu-man replied, coming to a halt and leaning on the cave wall. "It'll be interesting to explore. However, I don't think it's our most relevant topic right now." He crossed his arms with a strange look. "Come on. You _know_ what I mean."

The female's eyes widened. Then, sighing, she nodded. "Was it truly so obvious?"

"It was, yes. Especially in the palace," the male replied, to which she hung her head. _Of course_. Her companion noticed it. "You basically admitted it in there, that you loved him. Why'd you act like _this _just now?"

"Because I've little idea about love, of how it works," she spoke, her tone raised. "Back there, I- I was truly scared Max was-." She sighed again "You get it. Even now, I- I feel uncertain."

"Don't, you're strong enough," Lembit said. "And love's a very good thing."

"That much I know," Hornet affirmed sullenly. "I just know not what I must to do for it, how I should act. Not even Vespa could advise me on it."

"Her species is like that, yes," the General remarked. "Don't worry. I will guide you with it."

She was taken aback. "What know you of love?"

"Enough to teach it to you," the adult replied sternly, sighing. "Though most of it you're going to learn on your own, through him."

The assurance roused another concern in her mind. "Yet how can I even know if he-"

"I think I alluded rather clearly that he does," Lembit interrupted. "He at least cares for you, a lot, so stop doubting and pull yourself together. You're a warrior, the Daughter of Hallownest, aren't you?"

Hornet gave a nod. "But-"

"_Aren't you_?"

She sighed, glaring at her needle. How in the world was she acting, at a time like this no less? Things much graver than her petty fears were happening. She had responsibilities and a revenge yet untaken! "I _am_," she declared.

"Good. I nearly thought you'd forgotten," her companion replied with clear sarcasm, standing up "Now, we've a hornet to get back to and an empowered Keeper to plot against, so-" He dug into one of his cloak's pockets, putting back on his hand-garments, before donning his unemotive black mask. "-let's get going."

"A single thing, If you do not," Hornet asked a tad shyly, earning an asking hum. "When I- we- _When I_ see _him_ again, what is the very first thing I should do?"

"Very first," the hyu-man began, his voice once again distorted. "Just hug him. That'll work."

"_Hug_ him?" The only bug that'd ever hugged her was Vespa, years ago.

"Yes," the dark clad General insisted. "Hugs are nice. Now let's move. The way back to the Hive's still not going to be the easy."

Unable to disagree with that, Hornet nodded and the two began through the barren cave, soon reaching the passage up to the rest of the Ancient Basin. With the no doubt heightened guard detail, making it back was indeed going to be harder, although nothing they couldn't manage.

The warrior smiled to herself. While matters were still quite grim, there was someone she could count upon.

She was certain Max and his uncle were safely back at the Hive already, waiting for them.

* * *

**ADRIAN**

* * *

Adrian muffled a curse, nearly stumbling on another rock. Although he felt miles better and could walk for himself again, making it through the dark tunnels wasn't easy by a long shot, as there was still very little light and the magic water's glow hadn't carried over to his still-damp clothes.

Not only that, now that they'd left the lit, peaceful cave, all the creepy scutters and other sounds were back in full force, sometimes seeming to come from right beyond his limited view, making him grasp his nephew's shoulder the slightest bit harder. Not that he noticed.

The young hornet hadn't gotten any less eager to trace the 'scent' he'd picked up at the magic pond's cave, which had Adrian a little worried, since he was still quite skeptical that it'd lead to something as good as Max thought. At the very least, it didn't seem the boy was 'hypnotized' or whatever the hell he must've looked like when the Pale King was making him come down to the palace.

The path Max's scent was leading them down mostly went upwards, with short climbs that were thankfully separated by dim tunnels, allowing Adrian much needed breathers. Even now that he was healed, bugs were obviously the better climbers.

As they made their way up the caves, the human started to notice what looked like very large spider webs hanging across a fair few of the rocky walls, only adding to their gloominess. He couldn't help, but shudder at the thought of what could've left them, definitely not in the mood to run into something like that.

Fortunately, despite all the noises, they hadn't actually 'met' anything since the silvery creature Max had killed. Not anything that was alive, at least. Every now and then, Adrian spotted another shell of a clearly dead bug of some sort in a darker corner.

Even Max had been frightened the first time they'd come across one soon after leaving the pool. After a slightly closer look, however, he'd thankfully found that it smelled like it'd been there for a while, meaning its killer probably wasn't near anymore. Now, the hornet just seemed to ignore them entirely, and while Adrian was still a bit wary, even he was becoming desensitized, getting the idea that this was how things went in these wilder caves, freaky as it was.

Soon after, though, as Adrian was slowly making it up another shaft, he heard Max gasp from above. Quickly climbing up the ledge, he was greeted with a wider cave almost fully covered with glowing plants and mushrooms, making it easier to see the cave floor, which he saw was littered with bug corpses.

"Wow," he gasped as well. "What the hell happened here?"

"Not a clue," Max said. He stepped further into the cave, looking around. "It doesn't look like any kinda normal hunt."

"Maybe some sort of battle, then," Adrian suggested.

"Could've been. They're sliced up" the hornet shrugged. "Weird that they don't have nails, though."

"Whatever. At least it got you to slow down for once," the human pointed out, carefully walking over the shells.

"Heh, yeah, sorry 'bout that," Max replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm just _really_ sure that we'll find something helpful with this scent."

"How is it going with that," he asked, brow raised. "Anything new-ish?"

"Nah, it's still coming from that way," the changed boy spoke, pointing to the cave's other end, before looking down, "and these poor guys feel newer than the ones from before. We should keep going. I won't rush anymore, I promise."

Adrian rolled his eyes, but agreed (what else could he do) and the two headed for the passage onwards. As they neared it, he accidentally bumped into one of the corpses slumped against the cave wall, surprised it didn't sound very hollow like he'd expected an empty shell to. To his shock, it then started shaking and rattling, before several sets of horns and legs burst out its sides and it stood up, roaring.

"By mother, what is _that_," he heard Max shout, as the adrenaline kicked in, and he bolted away from the monster, the hornet, thank God, following him instead of trying to fight it.

The cave they ran into proved to be yet _another_ climb. Still, with no time to complain, the human grabbed the rough wall and began pulling himself up, hoping for a few moments that it'd stop the beast from following. Looking down, however, he was horrified to see it dig its legs into the rock, quickly crawling after them.

"It can climb," he shouted.

"Yeah, I can see that," the boy shot back, equally panicked, as they both struggled to climb faster as well.

* * *

Not much later, the human glimpsed the ledge just above, scrambling onto it. He was helped to his feet by Max, before they heard a second, angrier roar come from the shaft, to which the two promptly started down the seemingly longer tunnel, Adrian running as fast as he could now that it was dark again. Despite it, he could soon hear thudding from behind and glanced to catch the monster's tall shadow steadily gaining on them.

Still, they kept running. All of a sudden, he saw the cave wall right ahead of them, nearly running into it, as Max stopped beside him, sending him a look. He returned it, desperate and confused. Was it another dead end? There wasn't enough glow around for him to see. Before he even had a chance to ask, there was another loud snarl and the beast appeared from the darkness, looming closer towards them. In response, the hornet stepped in front of the frightened Adrian, pulling out his nail.

"Come on then, beast," he yelled at it, though his own tone was audibly shaky. "You gotta get through me first."

The monster gurgled back, raising a front leg to attack. However, just as it looked about to swipe at him, the ground next to them burst open and the human saw three other beasts crawl out of it, quickly recognizing their silvery glint from before. The creatures hissed angrily at the two bugs, to which _both_ replied in kind, as Max faced towards them as well, now well outnumbered.

Adrian wasn't about to just stand and watch him get killed.

"Like hell you will," he shouted, reaching out and pulling the young hornet back. He aggressively turned to stare at him, before shaking his head.

"Thanks, uncle," he then spoke, seemingly back to his senses. "That was way too much for me!"

"Well, you don't say," the human responded sarcastically. "What were you thinking? And what do we _do_?"

He pointed at the four beasts tearing into one another feet away in the middle of the tunnel, unable to see any way past. Even if one side won, it'd still come after them next.

"We run! This way," Max shouted, before tugging him into the darkness at their side, which turned out to be another, completely lightless cave. The hornet rushed in, quickly disappearing from sight. Without hesitating, Adrian did the same, following after his nephew's tappy footsteps. High on adrenaline, he didn't care anymore if he stumbled or even where they'd end up, only that it'd be someplace other than these tunnels.

He kept going. At the very least, the glowing weeds soon reappeared, making him slightly less blind. However, after running for a little longer, the man noticed that their path felt like it was leading upwards. The rush starting to wear off, he began to hope Max did have some idea where they were going. Was he still following that smell?

The answer to that came soon enough, when he heard the boy stop ahead. Adrian caught up to him leaning beside a wide gap in the cave wall, panting, which he gladly joined in on, fully drained. A few seconds later, they both stood up again.

"You okay, uncle" the hornet asked, still clearly winded.

"I am, yeah. How're you?"

"Of course." The bug's tone became livelier. "We've made it."

"Huh? Made it where," Adrian asked. "Are you talking about your-"

"The scent, yeah. I never stopped following it," Max replied. "And it's definitely coming from in there." He pointed at the crevice, which had a fair bit of light shining through.

"Hmm," The man looked at it, wary. If something _was_ waiting for them in there, they probably weren't making it back out. However, it was still their only direction and they'd made it this far. "Alright, then. Let's go check it out."

The hornet nodded eagerly, before slipping into the gap. Sighing worriedly, Adrian entered as well, squeezing himself along the crack, which was still fairly narrow for someone his size. Fortunately it wasn't very long and he'd soon made it out again.

* * *

Warily looking around the new cave, the human quickly noticed that it was much different than the tunnels outside. For one, there really was much more light (even though anything was a step up right now). The walls were brown and compared to the dark grey rock from before, now looked like they were out of dull treebark than anything else. Most of it was plain, save for, strangely enough, one spot where Adrian made out what looked to be at least fifteen holes clustered neatly together.

The cave itself, although pretty wide, was almost entirely empty. From what the man could see, the only thing actually standing was a rock pedestal with a dull statue of some bug, which stood right in its middle.

"Wow, look at this place," Max gasped, sounding weirdly amazed. "Great, isn't it?"

"Huh, can't really say I see the appeal," Adrian replied, confused. "Just a cave with a statue. Why's it seem so special to you, Max?"

"I- I'm not sure." The boy's tone became slightly puzzled as well. "Something just feels important about it. It- it feels _homely_."

"Homely?"

"Yeah, safe, like a home should be," the hornet continued. "It's lit, air's nice and cool and it's a bit hidden too. Perfect place for a nest."

The man sighed, shaking his head. The kid was a bug, through and through. Still, what good was a simple nest going be? "So is this everything that 'scent' lead us to," he asked, peeved.

"I think so," Max said. "But most of it's coming from that statue. I think we should check it out."

With no reason not to, the two walked to the lone metal figure. Now closer, Adrian saw that it kind of looked like Max or at least a two-legged hornet, which explained a few things. Other than its threatening pose, he didn't see much else to note.

"Uncle Adrian, look," Max suddenly said, wiping dust off the pedestal. "There's words on here."

Crouching beside him, the human indeed saw rows of scribbles etched into the stone, completely unintelligible to him "Not a bad eye, kid," he stated, eyeing it, "but it seems my charm doesn't extend to text. Guess magic has its limits."

"Hey, it's fine. I can read it" the hornet replied. "This is the same kinda writing that was on those old tablets in the Archive."

"Huh, okay then." The man raised an eyebrow. "What's it say?"

"Let me see." His nephew moved closer, before starting:

"_Here stands tall the ageless reminder of our kind, of hornets_

_the fiercemost hunters and slayers in all lands we tread,_

_who yield to no lord other than the queen, be they bug or god,_

_for we are free always, no matter their wrath._

_And if so be it that they bring us death and ruin,_

_our kind shall live on _elsewhere _still, by virtue of the wisest of all queens,_

_Acrie the Schemer."_

Max stopped, staring back at Adrian, who noticed a tear in his eye. Suddenly, there was an almost thunder-like *crack* and the statue started shaking heavily, the remaining dust on it flying off.

"What the hell is this," the man exclaimed, shielding his face, as he stumbled away from it. "Max, what'd you do?"

"I don't know," the boy cried, "I just read it through!"

Then, as quickly as it'd begun, the quaking stopped. Annoyed and confused, Adrian glared past his arm at the statue, which'd become a lot shinier. However, he then caught sight of a hazy figure now floating above it. Squinting his eyes, he realized they looked quite similar to a certain ghostly bee queen, though _much_ more see-through.

And while queen Vespa just radiated kindness, this one didn't.

She looked pretty scary.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

She looked absolutely _gorgeous_! Though not in _that_ way.

No, the spectral hornet, though dead, possessed what Max suddenly _knew_ was the perfect form for their kind. She was mostly sleek like him, but her limbs looked way stronger and her shell showed a lot of battle scars. Being a female, her abdomen was also much wider (for obvious reasons), ending with a nice stinger. Still, the most different was her mask, which had a bunch of short, yet threatening horns pointing upward, almost looking like a crown. This regal feel was only added to by the black cape she wore.

But why wouldn't it have been? After all, she was clearly the hornets' queen, _his _queen.

And Max had no idea what to say to her. He wasn't the only one either.

"W- What do we do," his uncle whispered loudly from the side, "Do we say hello or-"

"I think so, yeah," Max replied just as quietly, not taking his eyes off her, before loudly starting: "Hel-"

"Long have I slept, waiting for this day to come," the ghostly monarch suddenly cut him off, her sharp voice echoy like Vespa's, as she stared down at them, "and now, the fruits of my labor stand before me at last. Greetings, my hornets, I am Acrie, the last of our kind's queens in Hallownest."

_Wow_. It took a moment for the young warrior to find his voice again. "Uh, hello, my queen," he nervously greeted back. "My name is Maxwell. It's, uhm, a pleasure to meet you."

Queen Acrie replied with a disapproving hum. "Your age is the only excuse for this manner of trepidation, young Maxwell. It does not befit a hornet," she lectured sternly, before turning to Adrian. "And what is it you go by?"

"My name is Adrian Reed, _his_ uncle. And I'm _human_, not a hornet," Adrian spoke with a firmer tone. "Max was one too before he wound up here, so I don't think you really have the right to speak to him like that." Max looked at him in shock. How could _he _even speak like that to her?

"One is yet weak and the other is insolence itself," the queen scoffed. "Not only that, Adrian Reed, you are greatly mistaken as well, albeit that at least is understandable." She glanced around the brown cave. "It's truly been a long time, has it not?"

"Yes it has, my queen," Max affirmed, a bit confused, but trying to sound firmer like she'd demanded. "Hive Queen Vespa told me that the hornets living around Hallownest were killed off by the king ages ago."

"Ah, yes, Vespa. Soft like the rest of her kind, yet a fine ruler still," the ghostly ruler muttered, briefly showing an actual smirk, which quickly faded. "She wasn't one for dishonesty either. It is _unfortunate _things came to such an end here."

Max hung his head and nodded sadly, before noticing Acrie's angry glare, as she started floating down from the statue.

"Cease your brooding, youngling. It is embarrassing," she ordered, reaching him. "Besides, my colony's demise matters no longer. Underwhelming as you two may be, you're here now and that solely is what does." She paused. "Still, I know a great deal of things have occurred in Hallownest during my slumber, if only to bring you to me."

"You're right, my queen, a lot's happened" the young male affirmed, starting to think it was 'story time' again. "If you wish, we could tell you about it."

"You needn't bother. It would merely waste our time," the queen said, waving her hand, before holding it to his shoulder. "Instead, you shall look into my eyes, so I may have what I need."

Despite how weird her last point had sounded, Max obeyed, glancing up at his ruler's stern, spectral eyes. Suddenly, their glare intensified and he realized he couldn't look away anymore. It felt as if she was gazing straight into his mind, almost like the Pale King once had. This time, though, it wasn't cut off. Fortunately, it also didn't hurt as much, even if it didn't feel that pleasant either, as the queen's stare seemed to pry through every single one of his recent memories, _which she had every right to_.

Max had no idea how long they stood like that, though it couldn't have been more than a minute. When the ghost's glare did finally soften and let him move again, which caused him to stagger backwards, almost losing his balance. Even the queen looked a bit dazed, shaking her head.

"Ugh. So you finally sacrificed enough to rid us of the Old Light, pale beast," he then heard her mutter, before she turned to him again. "You are thanked, _Max_. That was quite enlightening. Serves to show even runtier ones such as you can benefit the colony."

Before the younger hornet could say anything back, he was grabbed by his shoulders and pulled to the side to face a very concerned Adrian.

"Max? Max, are you okay," the human asked loudly, to which he quickly nodded. Relieved, his uncle turned towards Acrie, angrily shouting: "God damn it, what did you do to him?"

"Do _not_ call for gods here," the queen snapped. "I viewed his memories and manifested a proper hive link betwixt us. It is in my authority as the queen and you shall respect it."

"Like hell I will!" The human looked back at the warrior. "Max, you heard her, she went into your head! You should be angry too."

The live hornet wanted to nod with agreement, but was suddenly confused to find that he didn't, in fact, feel that angry at her, only kind of annoyed _(after all, she was the queen.) _As he wondered why that was, his eyes widened when he realized he couldn't bring himself to really feel strongly about anything right now.

Adrian noticed it. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I am only making use of our link to quell any overly strong feelings from you for now, Max," the ghost answered to them both. "It is simply necessary with your present discipline. You're to learn a hornet has fury in battle and survival, but not when speaking with their queen. Understood?"

Max nodded slowly. It made sense, though he didn't find it the nicest thing to do. Still, it wasn't the worst thing either. He felt weird!

"So, you _are_ messing with his head," the human accused, "damn tyrant."

"Indeed," the female coldly affirmed. "It's quite regrettable I cannot do the same with you yet."

"What do you mean: yet," the man asked. "I already told you that I'm _not_ a hornet!"

"Yet you are, in calling at least," Acrie insisted. "The spell within you makes that clear."

Both the human and even Max were taken aback at that. "What're you talking about, my queen," the latter asked, _kinda_ surprised just how dull he sounded. "What spell?"

"The same spell that made you of our kind upon wearing that mask," his queen spoke. "One I recognize well, for I myself once crafted it."

"Okay, now you're definitely lying," Adrian said. "Neither of us haven't even _seen_ real magic before this. I've never gone that close to the mountains and _Max_'s lived in Phoenix his whole life."

"That changes nothing," Acrie argued. "The magic is in you, undoubtedly inherited, yet still. I made certain it wouldn't decay in descendants."

"And how did we inherit it, then, huh," the man pressed her. "Don't tell me some ancestor of ours was a hornet you sent from here."

"Never in my years would I have thought of something so simply _revolting,_" the queen stated, her voice raised. "My scheme was _most _honorable. It was what earned me my title." She motioned to the statue behind her.

Adrian crossed his arms. "You _still_ haven't explained why we're connected to it. Not even what it _was_."

The dead female huffed. "Very well. I suppose it is best if you heard of that," she admitted, glancing over him and Max, who was as curious as he could be.

"I began devising the spell and the manner it'd be used shortly after it became clear the Wyrm would soon no longer tolerate our kind's nature, nor our defiant ways," she began. "It came from us hornets' very essence, with the purpose of granting it to other beings. Once within them, it was to remain dormant, through the generations if need be, until one with it found and wore a bug's mask, becoming one of us in form and mind. So that it stayed hidden until awoken, I ensured _none_, but our queens would be able to sense it.

Once it was finished at last, I had a number of my fiercest tribalbugs carry it beyond the cliffs and onto a race similar enough to ours. Never did they return, yet the last feelings they sent through our hive were of relief and success. They had done it. Not soon after, I perished myself, knowing our kind would be safe from that pale tyrant's grasp. Knowing him, He likely didn't wait much longer with our tribe's decimation."

Finished, the queen let out a sigh. "Do you now grasp how important you are," she then asked with a bit more emotion, glaring at the baffled males.

"Uncle, how long has our family lived in Arizona," Max enquired, looking towards the human.

"I- I'm not-," he stuttered back, then looked at the ghost. "I don't believe you."

"It matters to me not what you think," the queen spoke woodenly, "The truth is the same regardless: You carry my spell."

"And what if we do," Adrian said with a snide tone. "You messed with Max's head, you know the Pale King is still around, powerful too. We may as well be killed just like your tribe was. Honestly, the way you act, I think I see why he did it."

At that, Acrie's mask filled with fury. "How _dare_ you, wretch," she growled, as Max too felt an abrupt burst of anger toward the human.

"Yeah, you watch your mouth," he snapped, even feeling his nail-hand tense up. His uncle glanced at him, eyes wide with shock, to which the sudden whim quickly faded, "Sorry, but they're my tribe too," he continued, "And the only thing they did 'wrong' was not giving that _devil_ their caves."

"Okay, you're right, kid. That was too much. Sorry 'bout it," the man apologized, hands raised, getting a forgiving nod from the young bug, as a huff escaped his queen.

"I can tell that defending these nests wasn't our sole fault in the Wyrm's eyes," she then spoke, calmer as well, "although it does come off as something Vespa would presume. I never managed to tell her, after all. That our natural ability was a true threat to him."

"Huh, how come," Adrian asked with disbelief. "The statue's writing said you were good fighters, but I doubt you'd have been able to take on a monster like him."

"_Respect_, Adrian Reed, lest _we _need to get angry again," the ghost threatened, then looked towards the younger male. "I did not mean our skills in battle, but another of our abilities that I shall have to tell you of, albeit it is quite disappointing _you_ haven't yet thought of it."  
As she'd said it, the memory of leaping in front of the king's magic blast flashed in the boys mind, making him (kinda)curious again.

"I survived that thing because I'm a hornet?"

"Quite so," the elder said. "I've no clue whence it came to us, yet as far back as I knew of, our kind bore a strong resistance to the power the higher beings have lorded over Hallownest with. Their magic weakened against us and our minds didn't submit to their will like the other tribes did, even our cousins. It is what made us truly _free_. Unfortunately, it didn't protect from bugs under their influence, of which the king had armies too great for even us to face."

Max let out a silent 'whoa'. Even under her suppression_, _this power he evidently _did_ have seemed pretty cool and would definitely come in handy if they were going up against the Pale King again sometime.

"Indeed, it would," The queen affirmed to his (mild) surprise. "Even now with this apparent power of his, under my _proper_ guidance, our ability could prove a great tool against him."

"What real difference would _we_ make," Adrian spoke up from the side. "Max's clearly the only one who has it and he's changed, I'm not. Or do you expect me to willingly wear one of those damn masks."

"That is quite possibly the first sensible thing I've heard out of you, Adrian," Acrie said, "although I'd be pleased if you seemed more eager. It is your calling to be one of us, after all."

"Are you serious," the man shouted in disbelief. "Like hell it is! I'm _not_ just going to reject my humanity like that."

"But you _must_," the spectral hornet replied, now angered as well. "If not to fight the Pale King, then simply to grow our numbers. It's your responsibility!"

"There'd still be only two of us here! It's pointless," the human argued, as Max watched on, wanting to take his uncle's side, but also seeing a bit of his queen's point. And something else in his mind was telling him how nice it'd be to have a pack with another of his kind-

"Bah! I refuse to argue of this any longer," the female said, pointing at Adrian. "If you won't accept your place, then you shall be taught it!" For a single moment, Max caught her black stinger-area turning less transparent, before she suddenly dashed _through_ his uncle, somehow knocking him to the ground. The young hornet's eyes widened, as the human let out a pained groan, clutching his side, prompting him to start towards him.

"Stay where you are, youngling," the queen ordered harshly between deeper breaths, making him halt on the spot. "You will _not_ aid him. If he's to learn his lesson, he'll get up himself."

"But- he's-" Max found he couldn't say anything else, only look on without enough regret, as the hurt man hissed, slowly getting to his knees. The novice warrior now _wanted_ to get angry at the queen. Their tribe's culture ways might've been about toughness, but that didn't make it okay to attack Adrian, nor take his feelings for that matter. He managed a small huff. _So much for 'free always'_.

"Don't think that you know better than we did, Maxwell" Acrie said sternly. "We're free of the higher beings, but not nature. And it is simply nature that the queen be highest." She paused, as Adrian finally stood up. "Do you understand that now, Adrian," she asked him smugly.

"You _witch_! How'd you- What'd you do to me," the human groaned back. "Why's this hurt so much?" He slowly raised his hands from his side to reveal a sickly dark spot visible through the broken shirt.

"W- Wow, that doesn't look good," Max stated, staring at the wound, seriously starting to wish he could emote more.

"Indeed, it isn't," the queen affirmed callously. "That was a hornet's sting I gave you. We are fairly venomous when need be."

The other hornet's eyes widened, as did Adrian's. "Y- You poisoned me?"

"Yes, although not very heavily," the ghost replied. "Nevertheless, I managed it potent enough that it shall still kill you in a couple days' time." She chuckled arrogantly. "Fortunately, a hornet is immune to another's venom. A fitting compromise in my eyes."

Max looked at her, his lack of shock letting him quickly realize what she meant by that, as his uncle spoke up: "Even if so, where could I-"

"The Mask Makers nest lays not far," the female interrupted, pointing towards the crevice they'd come in from, before glancing at Max, "and I shall gladly guide _you_ to it. However, I'd rather if you got going soon. Or will you let it hurt him further?"

The disdain the younger bug wanted to have for her was overshadowed by a strong fear for his relative and he gave a nervous nod, then quickly turned to the gap leading back into Deepnest, waving for the human to follow.

"Max, wait," he called in reply, "What about Hornet and the General?"

"I- I don't know," the hornet spoke back. "But you heard her. That venom's going to kill you."

"We can't be sure of that," his uncle argued, though uneasily. "Besides, even if this is serious, Juss could just fix me again." Max paused at that. Though he didn't doubt the queen had been serious with the venom, the other human did heal Adrian before. What if he could do it again?"

"Forget about it," came the female's stern voice. "In fact, I'd prefer you forgot about thementirely. We will not ally with those damned _half-gods_." Her tone became scornful. "Truthfully, I am baffled Herrah ever agreed to mother _his_ child."

That struck (a bit of) a cord with Max. "Sorry, my queen, but Hornet's still a skilled and honorable fighter," he talked back, "and she hates the Pale King as much as we do."

Acrie rolled her eyes. "She may, but it doesn't make her any less a mongrel, nor the Wyrm's heir, so you're better to just abandon these measly feelings you have for her." The novice's eyes widened, as Adrian shot him an asking look. She'd even read _that_ from his mind? "I did," the female then said, "and I say if you two are to ever meet again it shall be in battle when she inevitably takes _his_ place!"

Max's breath hitched. He couldn't believe it. Her strict ways aside, he'd seriously hoped the ancient queen would help them. But now, she'd told him to hurt Hornet. That was it.

He broke through her hold.

"No it _won't_," he yelled furiously. "I would _never_ lay a claw on her! I love her!" For a second, his eyes widened. He had really just said that, loudly too.

Even the queen seemed momentarily taken aback, before scowling again, hissing: "Foolish youngling. You don't even know if-"

"I don't care if she doesn't!" The live horned stepped up to her, seething. "I do her and we're going to get back to her and then we'll fight the Wyrm together! So you can-!"

Suddenly, however, he was forced to stop by his anger being cut off, as the female regained control. "Will you, now," she asked, her voice a bit strained. "_Tell me_, Maxwell, will you truly let away a chance to bring back more of our tribe for a _halfling_?"

His mind entirely clear, Max had a short moment of doubt, quickly cleared by the still-present feelings she hadn't gotten to. "Yes, _my queen_, I will," he replied dryly, but firmly, "now show us how to get back."

Acrie let out an echoy growl. "Very well, have it this way," she then said, before pointing towards what the younger bug just now noticed was another passage out of the cave. "That entrance shall lead you to the Wastes. You may carry on eastward to the Hive from there."

"Thank you," Max managed (barely). He looked at Adrian, who nodded back and the two started towards the gap, though the human had a visible limp now. Despite it, he was insistent on entering first.

"So long, _hornets_," the ghostly queen called after him. "I shall be waiting for when you inevitably come crawling back to me, if you survive that is"

The young warrior just ignored her, squeezing himself into the gap. The eastern passage proved to be much longer than the one from Deepnest and took them quite a bit to get through. Thankfully, there seemed to be light on the other end, though he also caught wind of some kind of awful scent getting stronger. Soon, the human in front of him finally reached it, stepping out.

* * *

When he followed into the dim-looking cave, though, Max suddenly felt Acrie's suppression on his mind disappear entirely, making him feel like himself again, as everything she'd dampened was fully present again, including the anger that'd been cut off and was now even fiercer.

The hornet's breaths got more rapid and he clenched his fists, barely paying mind to his uncle's concerned look.

_That undead_ _monster_! He _knew_ the queen was the tribe's leader and core and had wanted to idolize her, but _she_ went too far. She'd treated them like _doma,_ messed with his head, insulted _his_ Hornet and worst of all, _stung_ Adrian with their kind's poison. It wasn't fair! They'd just gotten him fixed up!

And she'd been so smug about it too. Oh, he was going to show her 'crawling back'! He was gonna do it right now!

The hornet spun around on the spot, intent on getting back into the colony. However, he then found that he _couldn't_, though there was nothing in the way. _She_ wasn't letting him.

Letting out an angry shout, the bug drew his nail, hitting at the stone around the gap.

"Let me _in_," he yelled furiously between blows, the edges his vision turning orange.

"_Why? You made your choice, youngling._"

Growling, Max opened his mouth to retort, but was stopped by a hand grasping his shoulder.

"Max, _stop_," Adrian said in a strict tone, staring straight at him. "_Please_. You're going to alert something 'round here."

"But she-," the boy tried loudly, before being silenced by his uncle's look. "She hurt you," he whimpered, starting to calm down.

"And you know we're going to fix that," the human replied, "So let's get moving." He turned towards the small path ahead. "J- Just try to ignore the smell. I know your nose's better than mine."

* * *

True to his word, the bad scent only got worse the further they made it into the brownish cave, with the air turning thicker as well. Neither of the two were in very high spirits, as Max and Adrian silently followed the path. At least the human could limp on his own now. After a little while, the narrow tunnel ended, leading into a wider cave, which the smell seemed to be coming from.

Setting foot in it, Max could immediately see why. The walls and even the ground were entirely covered with numerous dotted bulbs, with smaller stalks growing out from between them. The unbearably warm air was filled with yellowish 'dust' clouds. The boy returned his uncle's nauseous glance. It was pretty obvious they were in those 'mushroom caves' Hornet had mentioned to him.

They kept to the path, trying their best to tolerate the noxious place. The cave was mostly empty, apart from a tall stone statue depicting some chubbier bug striking a pose, which they passed by with short, uninterested looks.

"Damn," Max heard the human mutter, as they sullenly walked on, "what a _bitch_."

"Yeah, no kidding," he agreed sullenly, warily eyeing the adult, starting to wonder when he would bring up what he'd yelled about Hornet.

"At least she let us go. Not without leaving a mark, though," Adrian finished, letting out a pained hiss.

The next cave was up made of a steep, rocky slope leading upwards, which meant they had to climb yet again. Despite his stung side, the human was thankfully still able to pull himself up, though it helped that they were going a bit slower in order to best avoid the small cascades of eerily fizzling, greenish water flowing down that didn't look very different from the acid near the Hive. Making it up, they passed by a cave going into the rock with what looked like the entrance to a giant pipe, seemingly tall enough to fit them both.

Eventually, the two reached the cliff's top, where, above a pool of the uninviting liquid, they saw a small, but nicely built stone structure. As it didn't seem like anyone was there, they decided to peek inside, the smell instantly becoming less bad. Strangely, the only things in the room were a bright lamp and a metal bench, which Adrian sat into, groaning with relief.

"Come, let's sit down, relax a bit," he called at Max, who quickly got beside him. They _did_ need a break after all that. "Now," his uncle spoke, "I think there's some things we should probably talk about."

_Oh, doma!_ The hornet's eyes widened for a moment. Then, he nodded, sighing heavily. "Uh-huh," he hummed, head hung.

"Huh, why so down," the human asked. "You admitted you loved Hornet and stuck it to _her_ in the process. Though, you _do_ love her, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," Max replied, feeling more and more embarrassed. "From when I woke up as a hornet."

"Heh, _knew it_," Adrian chuckled to his shock. "Sorry, kid, but it was quite obvious the way you talked 'bout her. Though, I still can't see why you're so blue about it now. She's a good girl and this is a great thing."

"No it isn't," Max snapped, annoyed. "It's weird and I have no idea what to do a- and I don't even know if she likes me back." Saying he didn't care had seriously come from the heat of the moment.

"Jeeze, calm down," the man said, taken aback. "Didn't want to insult you. I know this stuff can be hard, especially 'round your age." The boy rolled his eyes, though it was true. "But I also know that when needed, it comes naturally to humans and I'm sure bugs as well."

"Even then," Max replied, still unsure, "we have now clue if Hornet's even slightly interested in me. What if she thinks it's weird or disgusting or something?"

"Just don't take it too harshly," Adrian spoke. "Besides, I have this _hunch_ that says she's pretty into you too." The hornet's eyes went wide again. "And if it turns out I'm wrong, hopefully, you'll stay friends. The way things are right now, you'll kinda have to."

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that." The bug sighed. "Still, what 'm I gonna do when we get back to her?"

"You'll confess how you feel to her and let things go from there," his relative explained, "Maybe even hug if she lets you."

Max had to smile at that. "I'll try. Thanks, uncle," he said, encouraged.

"I'm here to help Max," the adult replied, "Although I'm a bit confused why you didn't tell me about these feelings back in the Hive."

The bug felt embarrassed again. "I- I wasn't that sure yet," he spoke, "and I didn't think you'd be much help, cause I knew you've never been with someone."

"Actually, I have," Adrian stated, then recalling: "It wasn't for long, but some two years ago, Mary and I tried getting together. Took us a month to realize it wasn't working out. It was kind of awkward for a week or two, then we got over it and look, we're doing fine now."

"Whoa." Max was surprised. "I had no idea that happened. When did it?"

"Around early spring," his uncle said, before chuckling. "Life back here still goes on when you're not around, you know."  
Mentally facepalming, the boy nodded. It made too much sense.

The two fell silent. For a bit, they just sat, listening to the green water hissing outside. Pretty soon, though, the hornet felt that he'd had enough and stood up.

"Come on, we should get going," he called.

"I'd agree," the human responded, "but where to?"

Max was about to answer, but realized his point. The story Hornet had told of her scouting trip here made it clear there were sentries around and he didn't want to risk any more Adrian by taking them on. Still, they had to move on someway. Going back to _her_ was out of the question.

Then, he recalled the pipe and what it probably lead to.

"Yes! Uncle, do you remember the pipe on the climb up here," he asked, before shortly explaining how Hornet and he had made it out of the city through the waterways. Those didn't have guards, now did they?

"Alright, let's try there, then," his uncle agreed, starting to get to his feet, before abruptly sitting back down. "Could you, uhm, help me up?"

A bit confused, Max obliged, walking next to him. As they pulled him to stand, the human let out a sudden, loud hiss.

"_Sunuva_\- My side," he cried, hastily lifting his shirt. Looking worriedly, the bug was horrified to see the veins around the sting-wound had turned the same dirty black tone as it.

"Holy- That _ghost_ wasn't lying," the man continued. "Bah, this is what I get for resting. We've got to get back to Juss!" That went without saying.

The young warrior and human hurried back outside, the latter limping even more now, though luckily still on his own. Despite it, Max had to support him when they started down the slope. Fortunately, the climb was only half as long this time and they soon reached the pipe's gaping entrance.

The hornet taking the lead, they stepped forth into the dark metallic tunnel, paying no mind to the ankle-deep water, as the air got more humid and scentless. Then, having not even made it that far in, Max suddenly heard and glimpsed something ahead, approaching them. Tensing up, his hand immediately snapped to his nail, the other going in front of Adrian.

Then, however, he saw who was there. Specifically, a familiar red coat under a mask with long, gorgeous horns, a taller, less visible figure right behind her.

Max couldn't believe it.

"Hornet!"

* * *

**So here it is. Some three missed deadlines later. Sorry it took so long.**

**Also sorry to the Ghost fans, but Void is still seen as the opposite extreme to the Radiance. Though I think he came out a bit too shallow here.**

**I'll be honest, this is my least favourite chapter so far and I'm sure it's obvious to you all why. I'm sorry, it's way too long, among many other problems with pace and dialouge. Let's face it, Adrian's part doesn't need to be that long. Too bad I realised that too late into writing to revise. **

**I am also never going to write these things out of order again. It may not feel obvious, but Hornet's part was written last.**

**I'm rambling. Just sad that it came out this way. **

**I need your feedback on this. Should I split the chapter in two for future readers? Let me know, seriously. The 'review' button is right there and I'm pretty sure you don't even need an account to leave one. Your opinion and contribution matters. I'm going to take a few days break, so the next one will hopefully be better (and shorter).**

**I hope you could tolerate this one for the good parts. R&R**


	27. Chapter 23: From Better to Worse

Chapter 23: From Better, To Worse

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

Hornet was still not sure she could believe her eyes.

As both the General and she had predicted right after their sobering talk, the journey out of the Ancient Basin had proven rather difficult and lengthy. This was, for one, because of the greater amount of guards, both construct and bug, they'd had to make their way by completely unrevealed. The hyu-man couldn't have simply sent them back to the Hive either, seeing as their exit from the Abyss apparently meant any magic of his would've been sensed by the Pale King.

A larger pack of sentries at the tram station had also left the two unable to get anywhere near the tunnel leading back to Kingdom's Edge. A simple pebble thrown by the hyu-man as a distraction had given them barely enough time to nimbly climb into the passage above. It'd quickly been decided they would be better to head through the waterways.

They had swiftly crossed the collapsed bridge, Hornet unwantingly remembering the embarrassing tumble she'd nearly taken there. Keeping the quick pace, they'd then started making it up the broken liftway shaft, soon enough reaching the broken wall opening into the sewers. However, before the warrior could set them on a waterway leading to the chasms at the Edge, she had been alerted by Lembit who'd told he sensed 'something _interesting'_ from the Wastes, the exact opposite direction. At the hyu-man's insistence that it could've been important, the warrior had begrudgingly agreed to investigate, despite it likely taking more of their time.

They had shortly trekked through the dim canals, which now showed hardly any signs of their previous fluke infestation. Despite her companion's words, the female had been slightly doubtful what awaited them in the fungified caverns would be as significant as he'd made it out to be. Not before long, the exit to the Wastes had become visible in the pipe ahead, quickly joined by the awful scent. All of a sudden, Hornet had caught a pair of figures entering from the other side. On instinct, she'd tensed up, needle clutched, as she and Yuss had warily kept towards them, one of whom had looked rather _strange_, almost like her companion-

She had _finally _recognized them, her eyes widening with shock, as the two had neared enough for her to properly see them. In particular, a shell of yellow stripes beneath a familiar mask she'd last seen filled with terror. Just then, the hornet had noticed them as well, swiftly drawing his nail, prompting them to halt. Moments later, however, he'd lowered it again with a look of surprise mirroring her own.

"Hornet," Max called out.

Gazing back towards him, the warrior suddenly hadn't a clue how to reply. She hadn't expected it to come _this_ quickly, nor in such a place. How were they even here?

At a loss, she glanced at her masked companion.

"How in the-," she heard him mutter, before returning her look and saying: "Well, go on, then. He's right there."

Understanding what he wished her to do, Hornet gave him her firmest nod. It was nothing difficult, she _was_ capable enough. Taking a deep breath, she looked back ahead, quickly setting down her needle, and started towards her friend. Surprisingly, she then saw the male running to her as well, the two soon coming to a halt before one another.

"H- hi," Max spoke up, catching his breath.

"Hello," the female greeted back, suddenly feeling nervous again. What was she to say now? What if he still didn't-

"I-, er, you're alright," the hornet stated, to which she nodded affirmatively, causing him to brighten up. "That's- that's great. I, um, _we're_ okay too, for the most part." He sent a hasty glance at his relative. "Hornet," he then began, his mask visibly pinkish, "I'm, uh, still not really sure how I should say this, but I don't want to hide it anymore. Hornet, I- I-"

It was true, it was _actually _true. "I know, Max," the halfling interrupted warmly, her own cheeks heating up. "I- I love you too."

She looked, as the male's eyes went wide, before (in a no doubt awkward way) pulling him into an embrace like the General had suggested her to. Not even during the more _embarrassing _instances of his training had they come this close. A couple of moments later, they separated, gazing at each other.

"Wow," Max breathed, his face now one of pure joy. "You're- That- that felt nice."

"It did," Hornet agreed just as happily. The hyu-man had been completely right. "_You_ did."

"Huh? I-" For some reason, his cheeks became even redder at that and he once again glanced to Adrian, who'd come a bit closer and was raising a thumb. "Thank you," he uttered with a smile, "you too." The halfling returned his expression.

A short, yet pleasant while longer, they simply beamed at each other. Then, however, the male sighed, saying with a regretful look: "Things went pretty badly, didn't they?" The warrior hung her head, giving a solemn nod. T'was time to tackle the matters at hand.

"We know, Max," Lembit suddenly spoke, having caught up as well. He quickly handed Hornet the needle she'd dropped, continuing: "And we're going to make them better, I promise. Firstly, however, I'd very much like to hear why you aren't back in the Hive right now."

"Indeed," Hornet stated, the slightest bit concerned. "How is it the two of you are here, Max?"

The hornet let out another sigh. "Well, when we made it up to the tramstop, two sentries ambushed us," he began, "so we tried to use the tram to get back, but one of _them_ got in too and I had to fight her off and in that, we, uhm, _accidentally_ made that thing go the wrong way."

Hornet's eyes widened in horror, as she realized where the third platform stood. "You mean you had to travel through-"

"Deepnest, yeah," the hornet finished. "It- it was pretty rough down there."

"You're putting it mildly," his uncle said, his voice a tad strained. "No offence, Hornet, but going through those caves was probably the worst experience of my life."

"Don't fret, Adrian. I'm aware how dangerous and wild my birthplace is," the warrior replied, now feeling even more relieved they were safe. "It is part of why I left there, after all. Rather, I am impressed," she smiled at Max, "and _proud_ you were able to survive at all. Many others haven't."

"We saw that, yes," the hyu-man mentioned uneasily. "Honestly, we were pretty lucky to make it, especially me. Remember?" The halfling hummed pityingly, recalling the injuries he'd had at the palace.

"Yes. I hope the little surge I gave you helped with that," the other hyu-man said.

"_Whatever_ you did, it took care of the worst," Adrian responded, "got me to the tram too, but not any further. And I was still pretty beat up, so Max even had to help me for a good while." Surprised and no less impressed, Hornet again glanced to her (now more than) friend, who gained an embarrassed look, shrugging.

"I had to, for your sake," he muttered humbly, "besides, the glowing pond wasn't _that_ far from the stop."

The General hummed askingly. "_Glowing pond_?"

"The Hot Spring," Hornet all but blurted out. At her companions' confused looks, she then spoke: "It is one of a few around Hallownest where the water is infused with SOUL, allowing it to heal and rejuvenate anyone." She knew this particular spring well. It'd been a boon many a time in her first youth.

"That's exactly what it did to me," the hyu-man affirmed. "Got me back into proper shape. And I made it through the rest of that hellhole in one piece."

"Really," Lembit said, audibly doubtful. "Your limp and voice say otherwise. That too." He pointed to the human's midsection, where the halfling somehow only now noticed a dark, wet spot on his broken garment, clearly from a wound.

She saw Max hang his head, while Adrian sighed. "Okay, yeah, should've mentioned this," he admitted. "I'm not sure you'll even believe it, Juss, but I ticked off a ghost."

"A ghost," the General asked, as Hornet too was taken aback. She'd heard tales of bugs' restless souls wandering the caves, but had never encountered one.

"Yeah, a ghost. She stung me, said it was poisonous too," the other male told. "And I think I believe her. It's _bad_."

"Hmm? Let me take a look," Yuss spoke, stepping over to him. He crouched down, before raising the garment to reveal aswollen, discolored wound on the soft shell, one that even Hornet found looked _very_ unpleasant. "Okay, this is definitely venom alright," the hyu-man stated "You mind telling what exactly happened?"

"It's a long story," Max replied sullenly. "Not a very nice one either."

"She was pretty awful, yes," his uncle agreed. "At least we got away from her. And I'm sure this's nothing that, um, _magic_ of yours couldn't fix, right Juss?"

The General brought a hand under his chin, as he stood back up. "We'll see. I'll have to take a better look at it." He turned to face the two warriors as well. "But right now, I think we should start heading back to the Hive. It's not safe here and we still need to recover. I'm certain each of you understands how dangerous the Pale King is now. Still, this isn't over and I assure we _will_ defeat him, _together_."

Hornet glanced at Max, who looked back, the two exchanging warm, yet uneasy smiles. While it felt wonderful to finally be together like this, she knew their love alone wouldn't best that monster. She was definitely going to have to train him further.

"Let's get going, then," Adrian then spoke up. "You know the way through here, right?"

"Yes, the path's nothing complicated," Lembit affirmed, looking down the pipe, "but it's not the shortest, so we've got a ways to go. That'll give us some time to properly catch up. I'm sure both of you want me to explain some things."

The other males nodded enthusiastically and a short while later, the pack began into the waterways, with Hornet firmly taking her place beside Max. The hyu-mans followed closely behind due to Adrian's indeed severe limp.

Just after they'd set off, the warrior glimpsed him lean towards Max, barely making out, as he whispered: "You did great, kid." She saw the hornet's mask redden slightly, as he gave a nod, which she found herself smirking at.

"As did you, Hornet. I'm proud," Yuss then loudly said, causing her to blush as well. While she did respect him, the general's apparent determination to treat her by her 'true' age still felt embarrassing, not too unlike when Vespa did so.

* * *

The four kept down the pipe, which soon came to an end, opening into the rest of the waterways. As they found and started following one of the primary canals, which lead almpst all the way to the Kingdom's Edge, the General began reciting to Max and Adrian many of the things he'd told Hornet, describing the reason for the Pale King's sudden growth in power, before moving to explaining his own nature, although in somewhat lesser detail. The female didn't pay them much mind, keeping to herself, aside from small, wayward glances at the hornet beside her, who was clearly amazed by what the hyu-man was saying.

She truly hoped they would be able to grow their love to _something _further, edging ever so slightly closer to him.

"-aside from my magic, it is also part of the reason why I know so much of things like the king and why I fight against them," Lembit soon finished, sighing. "I hope I've made some things a bit clearer for you two. What do you think?"

There was a moment of silence. "Unbelievable," the warrior then heard Adrian utter, exhaling. "Juss, I must say, I wouldn't've bought any of what you just said, hadn't I seen it for myself. I mean, _holy doma_. I could accept than organization of yours, but how do you even keep this secret?"

"Hm. You see, unless the situation is as serious as it is right now, I prefer to keep myself from using my powers," the General spoke. "And if it does become necessary, I make sure it is covered up. Otherwise, I'm still human, which means I do things _our_ way."

"Oh. That- that I can honestly respect," the other hyu-man replied, "Nice to see someone like you is keeping to that sort of mindset _this_ day and age."

As he was speaking, Hornet saw Max glancing to her, the astonishment on his mask still apparent. "Wow, I can't believe _he_ of all people is something like you, Hornet. And all of it has to be true too. We saw him do magic," he enthused, prompting her to nod, having seen even more of it than him. "Dang, it must've felt crazy to hear after you two had escaped, right?"

"His truths were quite surprising, yes, especially our commonality," the female affirmed, recalling their rather heated conversation right after she'd woken up.

"Thought as much," the hornet said, smiling at her. "It all seems so surreal." Then, he frowned slightly. "Though it's awful just how _he _killed the Lady."

"We mustn't expect any better of him," the halfling replied darkly, remembering what the murder had gained him, "simply face the consequences." Her companion hummed in agreement, as they exchanged sullen looks.

"We should change the subject," the male then suggested, which Hornet thought was a good idea.

"Anything you'd wish to speak of first, Max?"

"Yeah," the hornet affirmed. "Could you tell how you got out of the palace? There was a whole lot of those things in there and you took as long as us to get up here. Did you have to hide somewhere?"

"No, we didn't," Hornet replied, before explaining: "After you'd been sent away, we managed to flee from the constructs into the dungeons. There, however, they blocked off our way of escape, leaving us no choice but to cast ourselves into the Abyss."

Max's eyes widened. "You mean that dark chasm," he asked worriedly, to which she nodded, only strengthening his concern. "What did you do in there? Did something try to attack you? How'd you get back up? Please tell me."

The rapid questions took Hornet aback. "Well, I-," she tried to begin, as the other things she'd lived through down there came back to her. "I had the General relate to me his story and- and he helped me admit how I felt for you. Yet then we-" She stopped herself, sighing. "I am sorry, Max, I truly don't wish to tell of it." She'd made sure not to show it this far, but a part of her was still crestfallen over the corruption that had befallen her once-heroic sibling. As weak as it was, she couldn't bring herself to talk about it yet.

Her friend shook his head. "No, don't be," he said with a sympathetic look. "It's okay. I shouldn't've pried. You obviously got out safe and that's what matters." The halfling then felt his hand take hold of hers and curiously looked to him.

"Is it alright if I-,"

"By all means," she assured with a smile, which quickly faded. From the surroundings, she knew they still had a ways to go and wanted to talk on, yet knew not if it was right of her to anymore. "Max, if it is still alright with you, I'd like if you told me more of your journey through Deepnest, of that ghost you mentioned before."

Before the hornet could answer her, he was interrupted from behind by a garbled voice: "Yes, I'd actually like to learn of that as well."

The warrior's eyes widened with realization, as the male glanced back towards the hyu-mans. "Were you listening in on us?"

"Perhaps," the soldier replied. "It _is_ rather hard not to."

"He's got a point, Max," Adrian spoke up, the strain in his voice even more apparent, "You _are _right in front of us. Besides, it'll only help if we tell them. We would've had to anyway at some point."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Max admitted.

* * *

So, as they continued along the remainder of the primary canalway, the males began recounting their journey through Deepnest, beginning from the respite they'd had at the Hot Spring, where Max had caught wind of some very alluring scent, deciding to follow it despite the obvious risks, which Hornet couldn't help but admonish him over. Next, they told of encountering what was unmistakably a corpse creeper (awful things they were) and of their frantic escape from it that was thankfully cut short by a pack of deephunters attacking the beast.

Nonetheless, the males had kept running, soon coming to a crevice where the scent they'd set after stemmed from. Through it had apparently been a worn down cave, empty save for a single statue of a hornet, the engraved text of which Max had read, unleashing from it the ghost of his tribe's ancient queen, in whom Hornet recognized the familiar Deepnest mentality of harshness and placing the tribe above all else. Her friend went over the the surprising things the dead ruler had claimed of his and Adrian's ancestry that had quickly devolved into argument, as she'd wanted the hyu-man too to don a bug's mask, ultimately stinging him with their kind's venom to leave no other clear choice.

This, however, along with the ghost monarch's insults towards Lembit and the halfling, had caused the spellbound Max to break free of her and demand she let them leave, right after, as added by Adrian, he had loudly proclaimed his love for Hornet, prompting her to smile at him, blushing slightly.  
In return, the male told how they, per the queen's direction, had left the old den through another passage, which lead them out to what she knew to be the Fungal Wastes' lowermost area, where after a rest for the wounded hyu-man's sake, they had finally reached the waterways' pipe.

Finished, Max sighed, sharing a downcast look with Hornet, before glancing at the limping Adrian. The warrior understood, eyeing him sympathetically. Aside from being a source of worry, it was quite angering as well. An intelligent bug's stinger was to only be used as a last resort in battle, not to force one's will like this insufferable queen had done. At the very least, the venom would soon be cured by Hiveblood. For the moment, though, even Lembit was silent behind his unemotive mask.

However, that wasn't for long, as the four were met with a broken, craggy section of the canal's side, which otherwise had proven surprisingly intact for its years of neglect, even to Hornet, who'd dashed through these tunnels uncountable times. In addition to the crumbled path, the warrior also noticed the water beside them was visibly discolored, being evidence of an acid leak. Still, it was nothing she couldn't handle and, having let her companions know, she effortlessly leaped to the other side of the broken stone, turning around to wait.

Yet lacking her skill to jump so far, the hornet climbed across, rejoining her quite fast, with the General also having little trouble getting over. Adrian, however, didn't fare as well, the no doubt unpleasant sting-wound greatly slowing his pace. Still, with Max's encouraging words, he kept clambering. As the hyu-man was finally about to reach them, he suddenly let out a hiss of pain, a hand shooting to his side, to which he lost balance, tumbling down with a yell.

Towards the tainted water below.

"_Uncle_," Max shouted beside the halfling, lunging after him.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

He snatched onto his uncle's arm, frantically trying to pull him back. Unfortunately, the human's weight was too much and he stumbled forward himself. Before he could fall into the dangerous-looking water with him, though, the hornet saw the General reach out, grabbing him as well.

"Get up here, both of you," he hissed, helping Max pull his wounded relative onto the unbroken stone, where he quickly leaned against the wall, wheezing heavily.

"Thanks, Max, Juss," he said between breaths, then raised his hand. "I'm- I'm okay. Oh damn." He groaned.

"No, you're _not_," the young male argued, staring at him with growing concern.

"He's right, Adrian," the soldier agreed, his arms crossed. "You need help. Now come on, let me just-." He pulled the other man's arm over his own shoulder, supporting him a bit like Max had before. "If I remember correctly, we shouldn't have much further to go." He looked towards Hornet, Max doing the same.

"Indeed, hyu-man," the female affirmed with a nod, "This canal's end is just up ahead." She glanced at the hornet. "We shall soon be back at the Hive."

The pack then headed off, their pattern the same as before, with the General now helping Adrian limp forward. Despite knowing they'd be safe again soon, Max couldn't keep himself from sighing, still somewhat worried. Turning to gaze at the bug beside him, he softly took hold of her hand, which the female once again allowed, the two exchanging another, much warmer glance.

His uncle had been right. She loved him back and it made him _so happy_. Their reunion, the hug, had both been awkward, yet beyond amazing at the same time, even with his undoubtedly many screw-ups. It still felt pretty good for his first time admitting it. Besides, she didn't seem that experienced in this stuff either, which hopefully meant they could work it out together.

* * *

True to the warrior's word, the long canal soon came to an end, feeding into smaller pipes inside the wall that were clearly too tiny for any of them to crawl through, along with being barred off anyway. A few of the gaps were even clogged with some kind of pink _things_.

"Merely dead flukes," Hornet uttered to Max's asking look. "Pay them no mind."

Thankfully, the place wasn't a dead end, with a smaller doorway right next to the pipes, which the four headed through. Inside was a narrow, dim tunnel that went slightly further, leading into an equally dark room, where the hornet suddenly stopped, hearing a faint buzzing. This time, though, he recognized it before even reaching for his nail, as did his companion.

"Hello? Hivelings," she asked loudly, sounding as confused as him. "We can sense you. Please, show yourselves."

A moment later, several of the chubby bugs flew into view, including a very familiar one wearing a white ribbon around her middle. The pack of four stepped into the room proper, while the gathered Hivelings stared at them, weirdly silent.

"Max, Hornet, you're alive," Apisia then spoke up in astonishment, before her look became confused. "Why are you holding forelegs?"

"No real reason," the warrior insisted, as the two hunters quickly let go of each other, blushing slightly, which seemed to puzzle the healer even more.

"Alright," she uttered. "It is still, uh, good to see you. _All _of you." The pair smiled, nodding.

"You too, Apisia," Adrian said from beside the General. "I'm sorry for running off like that."

"It is okay, Adrian," the striped bug spoke, "The queen told us you weren't in your right mind."

"Still, look what it got me," the man replied. "I hope you gals have been doing better than us."

"We've been, uhm, well enough," the healer responded, "Certainly better now that we've found you again."

"Speaking of that, what _are_ you doing up here," the soldier asked her. "Seems a weird place for a healer."

"Indeed, Apisia, why are you here," Hornet also wanted to know, as Max became curious as well.

"Well, w- we were, uh, _searching_ for you," the Hiveling stuttered in reply. "I volunteered to help. We truthfully weren't even hoping to find all of you."

"Yet now you have and that's only a good thing," Juss stated, "Though I think we ought to be getting back to the Hive."

"O- of course, right away." Apisia agreed, nodding. She turned around and hovered to the mouth of the pipe at the back end of the room, this one clearly large enough for all of them. She looked back at the pack. "But I must ask that you be cautious. Beia cannot see any sentries, yet still."

Having each promised they would, the four started following her down the metal tunnel, at the end of which Max could already see light. The rest of the Hivelings came last, all of them still weirdly silent besides their buzzing. Not before too long, the group had finally reached the end of the pipe, finding themselves up on the side of a familiar ash-lit chasm. Looking down, a problem quickly made itself apparent to the hornet.

"How do we get down," he asked. The Hivelings could just fly, but not them.

"Don't fret, Max. You and I can easily jump from this height," Hornet replied, then turned towards the humans. "Though I cannot say the same for you"

"I'll be fine jumping as well," the General assured, palm raised. "Still, that leaves Adrian."

"My sisters and I can carry him," Apisia spoke up, getting a distrusting look from the man. "We shall be gentle, I promise."

* * *

After a bit more convincing, he agreed, to which the striped bugs took hold of him, slowly starting to hover down from the pipe. While they descended, Max watched Hornet leap from the ledge, before taking a deep breath and jumping off himself, soon landing beside the warrior, who gave him a proud smile. A few moments later, the General touched down, seeming completely unhurt by the fall, as the swarm and Adrian also reached the ground, the soldier wasting no time with pulling the poisoned man to his side again.

Like their friend had said, there didn't appear to be any guards around. Just then, however, the hornet heard rustling from a nearby pile of ash, before another Hiveling flew out of it, waving.

"Sisters, you truly found them," she spoke up, eyeing the humans and warriors, "all four too."

"As we told you, Beia," Apisia replied quietly, rolling her eyes. "We- We're taking them back now. The queen is already waiting." The other gave a small nod, joining the others.

"Let us not keep her waiting, then," Hornet spoke firmly, turning towards the path that went below the city, only to be stopped by the healer.

"No, Hornet, stop" she called, causing the warrior to look back, confused. "T- The western entrance is no longer safe. We have to go by the eastern."

Though still looking slightly at a loss, the female nodded, getting back beside the hornet, as they all began heading in the opposite direction. Walking between the green, hissing puddles, Max kept silent like the others, though not to alert anything.

Being so close to the Hive, he could feel the faint buzz of his cousins' hive mind again, sensing clear sadness and fear from it, which he figured came from their defeat by the king. However, there also seemed to be regret, even guilt.

With that and how strange the Hivelings with them were acting, he found himself a bit worried that something was wrong.

They soon passed into a wide cave, where the male noticed a sharp scent and that the ground was a lot more uneven, making him glance at his companion.

"Hoppers around here," Hornet whispered back. "Nasty bloodsuckers. Be on the alert."

Thankfully, they didn't come across any, soon reaching a large natural pillar, inside of which was a passage leading below. The path was steep, though not so much that it was difficult for the humans. Making their way down it, they were met with another big cavern, along with, at last, the eastern side of the Hive.

* * *

With their goal in view, it didn't take too much longer to make it down the rest of the rocky path. Stepping onto the cave floor with the others, Max saw the eastern entrance just up ahead. Despite the nagging sense of worry, at that moment, he was glad. Things hadn't gone well for them, _at all_, but at least now they were finally safe to recover and replan to hopefully win some day. With the Hivelings surrounding them, they approached the tunnel inside, where the hornet noticed at least two Hive soldiers and another, two-legged figure.

Wait, Vespa?

He grew slightly more worried again. It was true that the Hive queen cared for them, or at least Hornet, but it was still strange seeing her outside the walkway like this. The warrior seemed confused as well, tilting her head, as they entered the yellow walkway, before coming to a stop in front of the ghostly monarch, who turned to look at them.

"Greetings, each of you," she addressed with a slight smile, which then faded. "I trust it is quite safe to say that you've not been successful in your aim."

The two young warriors hung their heads, nodding unhappily. "No, no we weren't," Hornet said, gazing up at her. "I'm sorry, Vespa."

"Oh, Hornet," the Hiveling sighed. "You've nothing to be sorry for. _His_ power was far too great for any of us to imagine. Although there _is_ someone to fault here."

"I'm aware of my excessive hastiness, queen Vespa, and I'd be fully willing to accept any blame for it," Juss spoke from beside the hunters, still wearing his mask. "However, right now, we've got much more important things to deal with, things we should probably discuss in the Hive. I say we head inside at once."

"Now, General, l- let us not be too hurried here," the queen replied, suddenly sounding a bit nervous. "It is still good to see you all alive again, even if not entirely well." She frowned, glancing towards Adrian, whose breaths seemed even more strained now. "What has happened to you, Adrian?"

"Poisoned, quite badly too," the General explained, to which the hurt man nodded, "which is why he should be treated soon. All the more reason to get inside." He leaned slightly, peeking behind her. "Honestly, I can't see why you chose to greet us _here_ at all."

"Yes, Vespa, why is it you're out here like this? Is there something awry in the Hive," Hornet asked worriedly, as Max let his own concern show.

Staring at them apprehensively, the ghostly ruler started to say something, only to stop herself, sighing heavily. The next moment, she nodded, before starting in a saddened tone: "There is, in a way at least. Because of your defeat at the White Palace, our part in the attack stayed fully revealed to the Pale King. Briefly, I thought his inevitable retribution would spell the end for our kind. Then, however, he s_poke_ to me."

"W- What did _he_ have to say," the warrior asked uneasily, which made the surrounding Hivelings, including Apisia, all stare at the ground with sorry looks.

Vespa hung her head as well. "He demanded that the Hive and I become vassals to Hallownest. Greatly as it pained me to, I agreed," she answered.

"What," Adrian exclaimed, as Max saw Hornet stifle a gasp, his own eyes wide with shock. That was just- How _could _she?

The queen looked up at them guiltily. "I'm sorry, Hornet, all of you, but the Hive's wellbeing shall always come first for me, even if means this. I hope you're able to understand."

The warrior glared at her. "I take it I have to," she uttered. "But know that I _trusted_ you, queen Vespa." The Hiveling flinched with a hurt look, as she hastily wiped at her face, glancing at Max, who could only return the sad look. This wasn't fair, at all.

"This- this truly is unfortunate," Juss spoke up, even his tone unhappy, "though I fully understand why you gave into him. He _is_ very powerful now and you've a people to care for. Still, this probably means you aren't willing to house us anymore." The queen shook her head, to which he pinched the front of his mask with a muted huff. "_Of course not_."

He glanced at Adrian, then towards Max and Hornet. "Well, you heard her, we're done here. I- I know full well it's not to our, uh, 'liking', but there's nothing we can do. So just try to pick yourselves up a bit, 'cause we're leaving at once." The young bugs both nodded dejectedly, though the hornet had no idea what they were going to do after that. And he wasn't the only one.

"Wait, just where're we even supposed to go, Juss," the other human asked.

"Wherever, Adrian, I don't know," the soldier replied, before looking back at Vespa. "But it's pointless for us to linger here. We have to get going. Farewell, Hive queen."

He promptly turned towards the exit with Adrian, prompting Max and Hornet to do the same, the latter uttering a quiet 'goodbye'. However, their way was suddenly blocked by the Hivelings.

"I'm afraid not all of you may leave," the spectral queen said, confusing Max, who looked back around, as did the others.

"Huh? What do you mean by that, V- _queen_ Vespa?" There was a sense of wariness in Hornet's tone. "Whom of us can't leave and why?"

"Yes, I'd very much like to know that as well," the General added, clearly tense as well.

The ghost nodded. "Just briefly before you returned, the Pale King came to visit our Hive and I," she began. "He wished to see in person his newest domain and subjects. To me, he also insisted that you, Hornet, along with the General were- were dead already. However, his forces evidently hadn't yet caught you," she pointed to Max and his uncle, "So he ordered that, were you to somehow make it back to us, we would do so instead, bring you to him. And now that you have, we sadly must." As she finished, the Hivelings around them seemed to close in slightly.

The hornet stared at her in disbelief. He could kind of understand joining the king to protect the Hivelings, but why- "What? Whyever would you do that," Hornet spoke up, now sounding angry, "Surely you know he'd kill them. How could you obey to such a thing?"

"Because, harsh as it may be, in return, the king promised me the thing the Hive needs more than all else," the queen replied sternly, "something that alas, no other bug could give us."

"And what would that be," the warrior almost yelled, "What would possibly be so significant to you that only _he_ could provide-" All of a sudden, she stopped and Max saw her eyes go wide.

"An heir," she stated, to which the Hiveling nodded solemnly, the General muttering a quiet 'of course'.

"Yes, with the use of a mask," the specter affirmed. "His solely is the power to choose what bug comes from one. And he made it clear to me that our scouts cannot search beyond the cliffs anymore." This caused the other female's mask to become irate again.

"You've still no right to send Max and Adrian to their deaths," she retorted, "You've not even a clue if _he_ shall keep to this promise of his."

"It is a risk I've decided to take, one I _need _to," Vespa argued. "I know you're friends, Hornet, and I'm sorry, but this is a sacrifice we have to make. Be glad the king thinks _you_ dead. You and the General can easily flee here and hide yourselves, perhaps even keep plotting against him if you so dare."

"No! I shall _not_ part with Max again," Hornet shouted back. "I _love_ him, you know I do!"

For a moment, the queen seemed taken aback. "Hornet, we talked of this," she then said with a sigh, "I asked you to push back such feelings. It is not a good time for them, even moreso now."

"Yeah? So what? I love her back," Max spoke up, finally daring to do so again. He shared a quick smile with Hornet, before glaring back at the traitorous Hiveling. "And I _won't_ let you get me _or_ my uncle killed." His nail hand went to its namesake, causing the surrounding workers to buzz louder. Some cousins they all were.

"I- I see there's no swaying either of you, is there," the ghost asked, resulting in two angry nods. "I feared so." She turned towards the humans, who'd both been silent the whole argument. "Please, General, I'm aware this cannot be easy for you either, but surely you see how necessary it is for us."

"You're gonna tell her off, right, Juss," Adrian spoke nervously, looking at him as well. "I mean, this is bull. You won't let us get taken like that, right?"

The soldier let out a hum. "As I said before, queen Vespa," he calmly began, "I fully understand why you and your hive submitted to the Pale King. To you, they're clearly more important than us. And as somewhat of a leader to my own people, I know that sometimes, we have to make sacrifices for their wellbeing." He paused, glancing towards the young bugs, which made Max feel a little nervous. He wasn't actually going to-

"_However_," the man looked back at the ghost, his tone gaining an edge, "as much as I understand you, Vespa, I will _never_ compromise with the enemy and unfortunately, you're on his side now. Furthermore, I won't allow anyone under my protection be killed, nor let young love be forced apart." He raised a finger at her, "_especially_ if it's to have another of my kind forcefully changed. Simply put, 'your highness', you _won't_ have them. Goodbye."

This prompted more angry buzzing from the Hivelings. "I was hopeful you of all'd be cooperative, General," the queen frowned, to which they hovered even closer, making the hornet protectively scoot in front of _his_ Hornet. "I truly didn't wish to resort to this."

"You still shouldn't if you really value their lives," the General replied, his hand suddenly lighting up with yellow. "There's a reason we all survived the king."

Vespa's eyes widened, the workers also shying back. "S- surely you jest, General. You'd reveal yourself!"

"Oh, I assure you, I needn't use nearly that much to take care of every single one of you," the human threatened darkly, before looking at Max and (somehow) saying in English: "Cover her eyes, _quick_!"

He raised the glowing hand, giving the confused boy just enough time to reach an arm in front of his friend's mask, barely managing to hide his own with the other. The next moment, there was a _very_ bright flash, visible even to him. Peeking up from behind his elbow, Max saw the striped bugs stunned in place, rubbing their eyes with squeaks of pain. He looked at Hornet, who pushed his limb off her eyes, seeming as surprised as he was. The two stared at each other, before noticing Juss already moving towards the exit, Adrian in tow. They shared firm nods, then pushed past the dazed Hivelings, quickly catching up with the humans.

"I can't see! Goddammit, Juss, it hurts," the hornet heard his uncle cry, stumbling along beside the other man. He winced, realizing he'd gotten caught in that flash.

"It'll come back. Just go where I go," the General shouted back, as they made it out of the Hive, running on through the tall cave outside.

"Where do we go, Lembit," Hornet asked loudly.

"I said I don't know," the soldier replied. "Somewhere else at least. Just follow me!"

The hunterbugs obeyed, as the pack started heading back up the steep path they'd been led down before. About halfway up it, Max was alerted by a distant, but angry buzzing sounding from where they came, also feeling a spike of aggression in the nearby hive mind. A few moments later, they all saw a swarm of Hivelings flying after them out the eastern exit.

"Those ungrateful wretches," Juss hissed angrily. "Come on, let's go!"

Upping their pace, they soon made it to the passage, climbing into the sharp-scented cavern above. This time, though, the human lead them around the large pillar, away from the city. As they hurried deeper into the wild cave, Max suddenly heard the buzzing get louder again, glancing around to find the swarm had reached the upper cavern and were gaining on them pretty quickly.

"They're coming," he announced, panicked.

"You think I'm not aware," the stern human replied furiously, "Keep going! We can't take them!"

They kept rushing through the ash-filled cave, quick glances behind showing the group of Hivelings getting closer and closer. Max even spotted one wearing a white ribbon among them, chasing after them like all the others. Still, even though it'd started to feel desperate, he kept running beside Hornet. He didn't want to die, not like this.

At one point, however, he caught the swarm coming to a sudden halt, just hovering in the middle of the cave. His companions saw it too, as the pack slowed their pace, all of them confused. Then, the hornet noticed how much stronger the cave's sharp scent had become, his friend seemingly doing so as well, since her eyes widened.

"W- what's going on," his uncle slurred, blinking rapidly. "Why'd we slow down? 'Re we good?"

The very next moment, something crashed through the cave ceiling to the side, causing the Hiveling swarm to fly quickly away. Looking at the _thing_, Max was horrified to see a giant beast with long legs and a huge orange sac jumping towards them.

"Hopper, _run_," Hornet yelled.

"Y- you call that thing a bloodsucker," the male asked with a shout. It did have a long snout, but it looked like it would just crush them instead.

"Who cares of its names, _move_," Juss shut them up, as they narrowly dodged one of its legs.

They started running again, closely followed by the creature's earthshaking thumps. Not much later, Max heard a second crash from the ceiling, as another of the 'bloodsuckers' joined the chase. And once again, the things after them began to steadily catch up. Now, though, it was because the young male had finally started to feel worn out from the unbelievably harsh day. Hornet seemed to be getting tired as well, her breaths sounding more and more strained. Things were not going well

Just then, the pack scrambled over a higher spot in the cave, only to see a fairly large hut up ahead, a small bench in front of its clearly open door.

"In there, quickly," the soldier ordered.

"How do we know who's inside," the warrior asked between breaths.

"We'll take care of them if we have to," the male argued, "now get in!"

They raced for the structure, the giant hoppers now _very much_ behind them. The General and Adrian made it through the doorway first and Hornet dashing in next, as Max almost dived in after them, the tall creature's legs slamming down where he'd just been. The hornet collapsed to his knees, catching his breath at long last. Looking up, he instantly saw three nails pointed at him and his companions, which were held by who were unmistakably humans, wearing tattered yellowish uniforms.

"Who the hell are you? More of those bugthings," one of them barked in English, waving slightly with his weapon.

"Negative, soldiers. Stand down," the General spoke up, pulling off his mask, which had a clear effect, as the blades were immediately pulled away.

"Sir? You're alive," another of them said, all three giving salutes. "How'd you find us."

"Simply put, Smith, magic," Juss replied. "A lot of that around here as I'm sure you're aware."

"Yeah, Sir, sure is," the third soldier chuckled, before pointing his nail towards Max and Hornet. "Now who the hell are these two? Hostages?"

"No, no, they're with me," the General denied. "Good bugs. I can even talk to them."

"Let me guess, Sir, more _magic_," 'Smith' asked, getting a nod from the officer, who then frowned.

"Sure. But why don't you let us in properly? As you can see, I've also got wounded," he spoke, pointing at Adrian. The soldiers all nodded, moving away and letting Max stand back up to silently look around, Hornet doing the same.

The well-lit hut's walls were covered by curtains, with most essential-looking stuff placed against them. The soldiers were also not the only beings present, as in its center sat an _enormous_, decidedly male bug, who was intently glaring at them from under his thick fur cloak. Not only that, at another corner of the room, he saw Kent! He too was staring towards them, frowning with his arms crossed. However, his expression changed when he saw Max's uncle.

"Wait, Adrian? What the fuck happened to him, General Juss?"

"Many things, Mister Hayes," the General replied, helping the barely conscious-looking man lay onto a blanket on the floor, "ones I'm willing to explain in gratuitous detail. Firstly, though,"

He looked up at him and the three soldiers. "I'd like to know how you four are still alive."

* * *

**So here we are, a week late, but I got it, though it's 2.30 at night, as I write this AN**

**I know, I'm sorry. At least this one came out better than the last one. Still, it has its downs too. I know some characters had to be a bit unlikeable for that one part. Lemme know what you think. I really hope I made the romance parts at least tolerable.**

**I really did hope to get this done earlier, but I've just had so little inspiration this past week. Like all that *umpf* that kept me going last year was gone. This means I'm seriously making my release schedule more flexible. Expect the next one sometime in April. I dunno when.**

**Again, sorry for the slow start to the year. Still hope you enjoyed, so R&R and be sure to stay safe. Crazy things are happening in the world RN**


	28. Chapter 24: Unlikely Allies

Chapter 24: Unlikely Allies

* * *

**KENT**

* * *

_A few days prior_

Ever since he was a kid, Kent Hayes had known that there was _something_ out there. Not God, since to a proper American like him, his existence was simply unquestionable, but something _else_, watching and waiting. Ever since he was in his teens, he'd also been made aware that the government did some pretty shady shit on a regular basis, both to cover their own skins and for _other reasons_.

These notions had stayed with him into adulthood, only getting clearer as the years passed and the rest of society seemed to become more and more blind to things. Sadly, for the longest time, it was clear that most of his acquaintances, which included the entirety of Elsewhere, his dear, tiny hometown, just 'put up with' and 'tolerated' his honest truths. The few people that really listened, along with adding their own to the discussion, were the others willing to see beyond what 'they' wanted them to see.

Kent hadn't liked it, but he'd accepted it.

But then, it'd all changed. First, New York had happened, affirming his first belief. Two years later, Washington had happened, affirming the second, as well as finally getting Adrian to listen to one of his go-to channels on the radio. And now, just three days ago, the Sun had turned white as chalk, all electronic connection to the outside world had vanished and come noon, those _things_ had showed up, taking away anyone they could find. However, cooped up with Adrian and Tim's family at the latter's home, Kent had almost been more worried about the people that would come to 'rescue' them.

Things had looked especially bad when the person to barge through the apartment door this morning had been none other than UN General Lembit Juss, a frequent topic for him and his fellow theorists and with good reason, as this proved. Unbelievably, however, the shady officer and his small team of soldiers _had _actually turned out to be there to save them.

After a firefight against the white monsters, the rescue helicopter they'd promised had showed up at last, landing outside on the road. While the troopers had gotten the civilians to the chopper, the General had distracted the creatures with the giant sword he for some reason had. Still, when he too had nearly made it to the copter, one of the alien things had tripped him, making Kent have to save him with his trusty 1911. The soldier had jumped in and they'd been off.

However, their escape had been short lived, as what had to have been the smaller, flying monsters started to hit the chopper, making it spin out of control. The last thing Kent remembered as he'd braced for the crash, was a weird yellow flash. His memories from right after that were still blurry, though he remembered how the creatures had dug him and the others out of the wreck, basically ripping off the soldiers' gear and guns, his as well, before dragging them all into the desert.

Being hauled by two of the shiny aliens had been an awful experience, made even worse by the summer heat shining down on them, which seemed to have no effect on them. Try as he might've, Kent had been unable to wrestle either of his hands free of the monsters' steely grasps, leaving to just stay limp and endure, as everyone was taken towards the mountains near Elsewhere.

* * *

The entire, miserable trip had to have taken at least half a day, as evident by the Sun's position when they finally reached the cliffs. From there, the white monsters dragged the humans up a painfully rocky path, eventually coming to a wider ledge in the mountainside, where Kent was tossed to the ground with the others.

He quickly sat back up, checking himself over. Fortunately, he wasn't too hurt, with only a few bruises on his legs and a bigger one on his side from the crash. Looking around, he saw that Tim and Haley also seemed to be mostly okay (thank god), as did the three soldiers sitting together. However, he couldn't spot Adrian, Juss or the chopper pilot anywhere. Hopefully, that meant at least they'd managed to get away from the metallic creatures.

Speaking of the freaky things, a number of them were marching back off the cliff, while the few that'd stayed were standing towards its ledge, silently facing the humans. At one's skeletal feet, Kent saw a pile of the soldiers' equipment, even his pistol, which they for some reason had also carried over here.

The ledge, aside for them and their captors, was otherwise empty, with only a man-sized cave in the mountainside Kent knew to be natural, making him wonder what was going to happen next. The tall creatures seemed like they were waiting for something, but what? He looked up at the sky, unable to see anything that appeared to be getting closer. Unless the ship was just going to warp over their heads at some point. These things _were_ aliens, right? What the hell did they even want with them?

Nothing good, that much was sure.

And honestly, Kent didn't really want to find out what. He had no idea why none of the soldiers had tried anything so far, but knew he would. He eyed the rocky mountainside, hoping the metallic beasts wouldn't climb as well as they ran. He wasn't going to try and get his gun, since it would've been too risky and kind of pointless. The thing wasn't even fully loaded. _Nah_. The man stood up, throwing a goodbye glance at Tim and his daughter, before bolting towards the far end of the ledge as fast as he could.

He grabbed onto the rock to climb up, as quick, heavy footsteps came from behind. Seconds later, he was yanked back and painfully slammed against the ground, then pinned there by a creature's foot. Kent looked up, thinking it was over for him, but to his surprise, the monster didn't do anything else, just stood over him, motionless.

He wasn't going anywhere.

Pretty much helpless, he turned his head towards the others, seeing the old shopkeeper stare back with shock. One of the soldiers, Lane (if that really was his name), stood up and approached, cautiously eyeing the creature, which didn't react to him at all.

"That was fuckin' stupid, you know that, Hayes," he said, crouching next to Kent.

"Better than doing nothing," the man groaned back, annoyed.

"Not if it's this dumb," Lane retorted. "You're goddamn lucky these things seem to want us alive. It could've easily killed you otherwise."

"And what if the things they'll do to us are worse than that," Kent asked.

"We don't know that for sure. But we _are_ their prisoners right now, which means we act smart," the soldier spoke sternly, muttering: "Honestly, I didn't think you'd be this crazy."

"The hell's that supposed to mean," the theorist exclaimed angrily.

"Language, please," Tim called. "Haley's here too."

"Sorry, Tim," Kent replied, before turning back towards the trooper, hissing: "Listen here, 'Lane', I'm just a man who can see how much your leaders keep from us honest Americans."

"And we're just grunts trained to protect you honest Americans," the soldier shot back, "I'm one 'f those too. Just one that got assigned to fight things like _this_." He pointed up at the creature. "Though I know to tell that the shit that's still kept secret is that way for a reason."

"Really?" The theorist felt a sudden flash of curiosity. He'd yearned to learn of things like that for over half his life. And Lane seemed somewhat reasonable for a government pawn. "There a chance you'd spill some of it? We're prolly going to die here anyway."

"I _said_ we don't know that," the other man said, lowering his voice, "but _fine_. I'll tell about your precious aliens. Just try to keep it to yourself, otherwise Smith'll get pis-"

He suddenly cut himself off, his head snapping towards the mountain. Before Kent could ask what he was doing, he too heard it, what sounded a lot like marching, coming from inside the cave in the rock face. He looked at the opening as best he could, while the sound from it got closer by the second. Then, a fairly large group of figures stepped out onto the ledge. While not as strange as the white monsters, from what he saw, they still looked akin to oversized bugs walking on two legs, wearing blueish armor. A couple even had wings. The majority of them were carrying very wide swords, with two also holding up poles with lamps on top.

The new creatures came further towards the humans, causing the tall, white one to take its leg off the theorist and pull him to his feet. One of the bug-things, who, judging from the fancier helmet, seemed to be their leader, then shouted something that he couldn't understand, motioning with its sword for him and the others to come closer. For a moment, Kent stood in place with a defiant glare, before being shoved forwards by the monster that'd pinned him down, to which reluctantly approached with Lane, as did the Charles' and the rest of the soldiers.

The bug-soldiers wasted no time in rounding them up into a row. Tim's frantic questions of 'who these things were' and 'what was even happening' were quickly silenced by punches from the surrounding guards, right in front of Haley and Kent, the latter wanting nothing other than to lay into the evil things, only stopped by the sword at his own back. Though, there was another thing he wanted to do.

"We're not done, you and I, alright," he whispered towards Lane, prompting another of the creatures to bark something at him, probably to shut up. At least the soldier nodded.

* * *

Shortly thereafter, the humans and their inhuman captors started into the previously normal-seeming cave. Kent was still quite surprised. He'd honestly believed these things, both the white and now also the small ones, were aliens or something of the sort. But as they soon passed into a tunnel that, even in the near dark, was very clearly built by hand, he realized that wasn't the case at all. Truth be told, after hearing about it, he had sometimes entertained the idea of lizards or the like hiding away somewhere (maybe even among people in some places, disguised), but had never thought it'd be giant _bugs_, nor that they'd be basically right next to Elsewhere.

As the humans were ushered further into the tunnel, it didn't take long for the man to notice that it was leading downwards and he began to wonder where they were being taken. These bug-creatures were smart enough to talk and use weapons, apparently even dig huge tunnels like this. Surely they had built something else in these caves. Though whatever it'd end up being, it wouldn't mean anything good for him and the others. That much was obvious. Seriously, what ungodly thing did these things need them for?

Matter of fact, why had they only showed up now? This tunnel looked old enough. There was an ever growing amount of things Kent wanted answers to, preferably without getting killed.

Being pushed along with the others, the only things shaking Kent from these thoughts were the increasingly chilly air and scutters and chirps in the darkness, which he would've brushed off as bats if they hadn't seemed to come from around ground-height.

Just as he was also starting to wonder how long this tunnel would last, he saw bright light coming from ahead and instead got surprised, thinking they were reaching the end of the road already.

However, that didn't turn out to be the case, as the large group soon made it through the wide passage at the end of the tunnel, before coming to a quick stop. His eyes adjusting, Kent saw they were on the side of a large, unbelievably well-lit underground canyon. Even stranger, there was a constant fall of what appeared to be white flakes, coming from above. There was a quiet gasp from someone. He would've whistled himself, hadn't it probably meant a punch from one of their captors.

Looking straight ahead, he then saw the likely reason for why they had stopped. Right in front of them, there'd very clearly once been a stone bridge leading to the canyon's other side. Now, though, there was just two ropes running across, with another of the bug-soldiers in the process of hastily fastening planks to them. Still, the shoddy thing was far from finished. The leader of his captors shouted a few words in their bizarre language, getting the builder's attention. They shouted in reply, pointing at the cave behind them, which caused fancy-helmet to groan angrily, before yelling something else.

One of the other bugs-things from their group spoke up in an asking tone. Kent was also a bit confused as to where they'd go now. He hoped they weren't just going to wait it out, since the cave's cold air was slowly starting to get to him. Fancy-helmet huffed, before saying what was surely an order and pointing towards the edge of the outcrop, where there was a narrow, steep footpath going down the side of the tall ravine.

Suddenly, freezing up there didn't seem like that bad an idea to the man and the others seemed to think the same way. Even the soldiers looked slightly more nervous. However, the bugs nodded in unison and began to push them towards the path.

"Y-you can't be serious about this," Tim tried protesting, but was forced quiet again, causing his daughter to whimper and Kent's disdain to grow, as the humans were all made to get onto the trail, each separated by one of the creatures.

* * *

The walk (or climb, rather) down was nerve-wracking to say the least. His hand basically glued against the canyon wall, Kent did his best to only look straight forward, feeling jealous at the winged bugs, who had flown ahead to wait for them. Still, he couldn't help peeking at the ground below a couple times, spotting a large amount of puddles with greenish _stuff _scattered all over.

Just when they were finally getting to the bottom of the canyon, the man suddenly noticed the two bug-soldiers that were waiting at the foot of the path become agitated at something, before hearing their panicked shouts, which seemed to scare the ones escorting them too. Moments later, a bunch of _things_ flew out the large cave to the side. They looked about the same size of the beastie that'd attacked Adrian's nephew, but with the addition of bright orange sacs under their bodies.

These ones also looked _much _angrier than what Kent had shot. And they'd just rushed past the winged guards, going straight towards Kent and the others.

The entire 'prisoner caravan' livened up, with panicked shouts from both the bugs and humans, him included, as the guards started hurriedly trying to push them all along, only for a few of the flying creatures to get close, before _spitting_ out globs of orange goo. Ducking in the nick of time, Kent heard one's splash against the cave wall above him, followed by loud sizzling. In the chaos that followed, he suddenly noticed that neither of the bugs were holding onto him anymore and, deciding to act, grabbed the one to his front, shoving them off the path.

Luckily for him, they were still high enough that it was an actual fall.

Kent heard the bug behind him shout and, not wanting to get hit, rushed forwards, where the soldiers also started fighting back against their momentarily overwhelmed captors, Smith sending another one off the side. With more globs of the nasty spit splattering on the path, the four men then got to making it down from the trail themselves, pushing past the other guards, who yelled angrily, as well as the Charles', neither of whom were strong enough to struggle free.

They jumped onto the chasm floor, where the winged bug-soldiers had taken off from to fight the spitter-things. Kent looked around frantically, trying to think of what to do next. Before he could, though, the other guards caught up, dragging along the remaining prisoners. They were quickly joined by the two that'd been chucked off the path, both seeming completely unhurt somehow.

The bugs' leader furiously spoke an order, prompting four of the others to rush towards the humans. One of them swung their weapon at Kent, making grab onto their sword arm, trying to twist it, while forcing them back with the other. As proud or embarrassed as he might've felt about it, he'd been in a fair few fights and knew how to defend himself in one. Still, the creature was pretty strong, the two struggling for a few moments, before the man managed a proper punch to its unarmored stomach area.

Unfortunately, the hard skin was tough enough that it didn't do much outside hurting his hand and angering the bug even further. It snarled, jabbing forward with their sword, which the man barely avoided. Getting close again, the creature then snatched onto his shirt, trying to tug him by it.

"Get the _hell_ away," Kent shouted. He shoved as forcefully as he could, causing the bug to stumble backwards and fall right into one of the hissing, green puddles. They began to scream, clearly in pain, as one of the other bugs rushed over with a panicked shout, stooping down to pull them back out.

For a few moments, even Kent was shocked at what he'd just done, before forcing himself to shake it off and glancing to the side, where he saw Lane punch another bug hard enough to stun them. The soldier returned his look.

"We need to run, Hayes. Come on," he shouted, motioning for him to follow, as the winged bugs, having killed or scared off the spitters, landed to join the fight. The man nodded, before realizing something.

"Wait, what about Tim," he asked, looking towards the scared shopkeeper and his daughter, who were still held beside the bug-guards' leader and another, who he only now saw was hauling the troops' equipment and guns, as well as his piece.

"We'll never get to them! Now come on already," Green replied.

Sighing, Kent nodded again. Despite wanting to save his helpless friend, he understood his own safety took priority right now. Still, with a heavy heart, he took off after the soldiers that he'd thought would kill him just hours earlier, leaving the old man to whatever the hell these bugs wanted with them.

They rushed into the wide cave that the spitter-things had flown out of earlier, with a number of the bug-guards _very_ audibly in pursuit.

* * *

**ORO**

* * *

The hermit nailmaster known once to others as Oro had had quite an interesting couple of days, to say the very least.

For what must have been decades by that point, the well-sized bug had lived alone at the far edge of Hallownest, cut off from the rest of the world. That wasn't an issue to the warrior. After all, it was the reason he had retreated there in the first place, among several others that he preferred to think of less, including a promise once broken, one he didn't think he could ever repay.

Oro had first arrived in the lonely hut around the time the City of Tears had closed its gates to stave off the Infection and in the time that had followed, he'd noticed himself gradually become less and less active. Not sluggish or old, no (he in fact appeared to have ceased aging altogether), but inactive regardless, until he had found himself silently meditating for what were no doubt years at a time, only rousing to eat a small fill from his stored food that'd still yet to run out.

This had gone on until very recently, when his remote home had been found by a scentless, mute little bug, whose nail had quickly betrayed their intent to learn, which the nailmaster, as once obliged by his own teacher, had adhered to, though only for a considerable amount of geo. It was useless, but being awoken from meditation had left him in a bad mood. Regardless, what the tiny warrior had lacked in size and speech, they'd made up for with skill and resolve, pleasantly surprising Oro, to whom it reminded of the Nailsage.

Having quickly mastered the Dash Slash, the strange youngling had left him to meditate in peace once more, only to soon return, this time to offer the larger bug a pure white flower that he'd ultimately decided to keep (though not before his pupil had gone). From their stature, he'd also taken away that they had gotten to train under Sheo, as well as _him_, which he'd made sure to mention.

That was the last time he had seen the tiny warrior and he thought things would return to the norm. Not long after, however, something about the air had _changed_ and he couldn't help but feel that it had to do with them. Overall, he could suddenly _feel_ much more again, almost as if an invisible cover had been lifted off his mind. Furthermore, he had found that he'd finally gotten his fill of meditating, having a peek out of his hut for the first time in a long time, happy to finding his training dummy in its old spot.

* * *

Still, even with this newfound state of mind, for the following couple of days, the nailmaster had abstained from venturing too far into the wilderness. That was until this midday, when he had started to feel slightly hungry. However, what remained of his supplies had finally become rancid in the time since the last time he'd eaten. So, come afternoon, he lifted his greatnail onto his shoulder and stepped out the door, having decided to go hunting.

As well as to throw away the rotten food before its stench spread into his preferred spot.

After the latter was done, Oro began to head down the wide cave, passing by the familiar white piles of what he knew to be the fallen ashes of some long dead beast. When it came to those right now, though, he had taken notice that many inhabitants of the caves had somehow perished, with ash-covered corpses of little hoppers being quite a frequent find, unlike their living brethren, who the nailmaster had yet only sensed. Curiously, their already sharp scent was entirely clear of the Infection's distinct presence, which he knew to have ailed them.

Perhaps it was linked to his sudden 'awakening'.

Still, although they too were less in numbers, it hadn't stopped the primal aspids, who seemed more insolent and fierce than ever before, having tried to attack Oro twice already. A few swings from his greatnail had repelled them, followed by a retreat to his hut, where they didn't dare enter.

Fortunately, the flying vermin hadn't bothered his hunt so far. Good, there was little edible in them anyway. The nailmaster hoped to come across a boofly, which would've fed him for days. Prowling along towards the pillar that led down to the Hive, he kept alert for anything that might've moved. He was also in thought, mostly about the times to come now that he was 'awake' again. After regaining his bearings here for a couple more days, it didn't seem such a bad idea to go and see how the rest of the known world was faring after all this time. Perhaps he'd even come across Sheo or their old master-

Oro's tram of thought was briefly interrupted by a gust of colder wind from ahead, which was largely blocked by his coat, the rest by his shell.

However, with it came a _very_ interesting pair of scents. One of them was clearly that of Hallownest's folk. The other, though, was entirely foreign to him. Mere moments later, he started hearing distant shouts and decided it was worth investigating.

* * *

Having only strode a short distance, the warrior was met with the strange sight of four _creatures_ fleeing his way from a same-sized pack of Hallownest's sentrybugs. Now truly wishing to know what it was about, he approached further, while the escapees did so on their end. Then, the four beings noticed him, freezing in place, breathing heavily, as he closed the remaining distance between them to get a proper look. They were clearly intelligent, standing upright and being almost entirely covered in garments. He could also hear hushed, fearful words from them, all of which were unfamiliar to him. They were each unarmed as well, leaving Oro confused as to why the sentries were after them. It didn't appear too noble of them.

It was then that the soldierbugs in question caught up, causing the creatures to glance back at them, one uttering something.

"Greatly done finally halting these filths, big warrior," one of the sentries spoke up, stepping closer, as the nailmaster felt a faint, sharp scent. "We shall have at them from-"

Before he could finish, a much larger creature burst through the cavern ceiling, granting the nailmaster barely enough time to dodge out its way. Landing with an earthshaking crash, the Great Hopper jumped up again, as both the smaller bugs and creatures scrambled with panicked yells. Oro was having none of it. He channeled his strength, eyes locked on the great beast. The moment it landed, he struck, cleaving through its sac with a single Dash Slash. It fell to the cave floor, dead.

He still had it.

He glanced to the side, where neither the sentries, nor the creatures had gotten very far, but were now looking back to him.

"The second time you've saved us trouble, good bug," the one who'd spoken before said. "We'll make sure to mention your service to the king, so he may offer you a place among us. Strong warriors like you are a rarity in these times. Now, however, we've to deal with these _unguided_." Nails readied, he and his companions turned towards the four beings, who looked rather tired by now.

Oro was not going to let it happen without answers. "Stop," he called out, causing the sentries to look at him again, visibly annoyed. "What is it they've done wrong?"

"If you must, they fled us while we were taking them to our Pale King to be enlightened, through which they injured one of ours," the sentry explained coldly, "for that, we shall make them pay!" He waved his nail towards the creatures.

The Nailsage's once spoken words ran through the larger bug's mind. "You cannot," he protested. "They are unarmed, defenseless. Take them to the king if you must, but do not punish them here like so. It is against a proper warrior's law."

"We are the king's hand. He is above all laws," the soldier argued, "now I suggest you mind your own business and leave us be, warrior."

"I am no mere warrior, you city tiktik," Oro declared, feeling indignant, "I am a nailmaster and you shall respect me as such."

"Bah, even if that was, such titles have long been without meaning," the other bug scoffed, "they're nothing before our king anyway. Now scram, brute, before we get too annoyed." He waved a hand, as if dismissing the nailmaster, which he refused to accept, having made up his mind.

"_No_! I shall not let you hurt them, whatever they are." He brought forth his greatnail. "In fact, I will not even let you take them, be it the king's will or not." Truth be told, he had never held the ancient ruler (who apparently had now returned) in very high regard, as the 'great' figure had disappeared when he was still a youngling.

"Insolent fool! Revoke that threat or be met with our blades!" All of the sentries had now turned towards him.

"I shall, gladly," the nailmaster chuckled darkly, channeling his strength, before charging for them with another Dash Slash, felling the mouthy one in an instant. The three remaining soldierbugs dispersed, doing their best to surround him. The single winged female took fight.

"It'd be for the best if he was the only one to lose his life today," he spoke up, his tone stern, "leave these caves while you still can."

"Never! You've proven an enemy to the king and for that, you shall perish," one of his opponents shouted like the indoctrinated bug they were.

The nailmaster simply grunted in reply, blocking strikes from the two earthbound sentries with a single wide swing of the greatnail, before bringing it upon them again, cutting down both. He cared not if he wielded his blade like a club, it was how he'd created his Art. This attack had left him open to one from the female, who flew at his back, managing a painful cut that tore his cloak. With an angry growl, Oro grabbed her and threw her at the cave wall, either killing or knocking her out.

Just like that, it was over. He _truly_ still had it.

Though, he felt slight remorse taking in what was nothing more than carnage around him. These bugs, however single minded, had been following orders. However, they'd also tried to hurt the strange beings as petty revenge, betraying any form of decency. Not only that, they had used their position to act as if they were above it like their master.

Their end was justified. It was simply how matters outside Hallownest were anyway.

Still, the fight had left him tired and in a bad mood. He walked over to the dead hopper, grabbing its leg. It would have to do for that hunt. Then, looked towards the four creatures, who for some reason were still there, staring back and exchanging wary words. Oro wasn't quite sure what to do.

"Will you merely stand there or shall you come with me," he for some reason finally asked, despite knowing the beings understood him as little as he them. After a few moments without reply, he shook his head and began to drag his kill back towards home. A short while later, however, he heard footsteps and looked back to see them following him after all. Strangely, he saw that the three wearing similar bright-colored garments had picked up the dead sentries' nails.

For their sake, he hoped they were as passive as they looked, as he could've easily slain them too were it otherwise.

Soon, the five arrived back at the nailmaster's hut, where he wasted little time in preparing the hopper to be eaten, disposing of the putrid sac. The four creatures kept to themselves, resting in one of the home's corners. Since he'd no idea when their last meal had been, Oro decided to leave each of them a reasonable piece of the meat, the three that'd claimed the nails accepting theirs gratefully enough, while the fourth, different garmented one was much less trustful. At the very least, they stayed on peaceful terms until night, when they went to sleep and he to meditate.

At a certain moment, the large bug found himself wondering if he could call himself a 'pet owner', having heard in the past of bugs that kept domesticated beasts. He dismissed the thought, however, as it was clear the four were far from mere animals. They were company, one that was surprisingly enjoyable.

The following days were mostly eventless, yet certainly interesting, as Oro learned more of his peculiar new charges. Though the difference in language proved far too great to break, with the creatures making sounds he couldn't and the other way around, that didn't stop him from telling them his name, as well as the friendlier three presenting him theirs: '_Leyn_', '_Smiff_', '_Griin_', with the fourth's name apparently being '_Kent_'. As the day passed, the warrior observed that, unlike bugs, the creatures ate more frequently, but less at a time, which he found more than a tad impractical.

He was also witness to the three's admittedly horrid way of wielding their nails, which he sought to improve as much as he could without words, this time without requiring geo. It was strange to him, as their stature's seemed to be those of soldiers. Perhaps training with a different weapon?

What was this 'enlightenment' they'd apparently been brought here for anyway? Oro realized he was likely going to have to postpone his planned venture into Hallownest for the time being.

Two full days passed with their new way of life, simultaneous with the gradual disappearance of what was left of the hopper, which meant another hunt was soon in order. The nailmaster didn't yet wish to have the creatures accompany him, as they'd proved much more fragile than bugs. Then, on the third day's evening, as all five males were already settling down, they were alerted by the approaching thumps of several great hoppers. The warrior-creatures grabbed their blades, likely in case the beasts came too close, which Oro honestly doubted.

He was mistaken. They did, although not because of them.

Instead, through the door rushed two bugs and two of the same kind as his charges. Even more surprisingly, the newcomers knew his companions, with one of them being his new students' leader. The strangest part was that the dark-clad 'human's' speech was as it had been spoken to Oro by another bug. That also seemed the case for the other 'human', who, however, didn't say much, being quite gravely injured. The two bugs that'd arrived with them, a male and female, weren't much older than younglings, but carried blades nonetheless, their visible tiredness showing that they had been through a great deal. He wasn't sure of either's kind, though.

As Oro was doing away with the two great hoppers still outside and a little bit after as well, his charges told the human named '_Juss_' of what'd happened to them after they'd been separated, as per the 'General's' request. In return, the stranger began recounting all that had happened to them, including the reason for his companion's injury. For some reason, as he was getting started, the young red clad female excused herself, quickly stepping outside. Meanwhile, the striped male, befitting his age, stayed largely quiet, sitting and listening beside the wounded '_Aydrian_'.

From the very way the 'General's' tale started, Oro gained the idea that perhaps his journey back into the rest of the world wouldn't have to wait so long.

* * *

**So here we are, on time this time. And another late night upload. Sorry. This one had little new information and was mostly about events from other points of view, with my trademark needlessly complex backstories to boot.**

**Honestly, I didn't hope this chapter would come out this long. As I said in the last one, I've not felt as enthusiastic recently and struggle to get out more than 300-350 words a day. I dunno, spring tiredness. Until this goes on, expect slightly shorter chapters like this, especially the next one, which will basically be an addon to this. I just want to get my schedule back. Home study has left my routine in shambles. **

**R&R We're almost at a hundred reviews and that's pretty cool. Also don't die.**

**P.S I've considered 'advertising' this story on the HK subreddit, but don't know if that is considered ethical in internet standards. What do you think?**


	29. Chapter 25: Doubts, Tears, A Day's End

Chapter 25: Doubts, Tears and a Day's End

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

Max sat huddled against the wall beside his wounded uncle, silently looking towards the center of the large cozy hut and the ones settled there, specifically Kent, whom he seriously hadn't thought he'd ever see again, as well as the the three soldiers that'd 'welcomed' them earlier. He also couldn't help the still-slightly-wary glances at the imposing male calling himself Oro, who carried a nail even bigger than the General's. As the latter had asked pretty much right after they'd arrived, the four humans had just recently finished telling them about how they managed to get here.

Although parts of it had been a bit hard for the hornet to listen to, since the giant bug had gone to either kill or scare away the two 'bloodsuckers' still jumping around outside.

In return for the humans' story, Juss had now begun recounting all that had happened to them (him and Adrian, that was). Though, as he'd been getting started, Hornet had suddenly gotten up to walk outside, saying that she wished to be alone. Thinking about it, the hornet couldn't really blame her for not caring to listen. After everything they'd been through today, especially her, she deserved a break.

Even then, a part of him had wanted to follow her to try and give at least a little comfort. However, he also wanted to respect her wish, as well as stay for slightly longer with his uncle, who was doing a tad better now that he'd gotten to rest a bit, though he still wasn't in the condition, nor mood to talk too much. Max had stayed quiet as well, partly to focus on what the humans were speaking, but also because shortly after their arrival, the General had whispered to him not to, probably so Kent wouldn't recognize him just yet.

And so he hadn't, just listening in silence, as the tall man gave his _very _abridged version of the past few days' events, unable to think about anything else himself, today's especially. He shot another worried glance at Adrian. While he did look less pale than during their escape, it was still pretty clear that if they didn't do anything, the venom would soon overcome him, just like his que-, no, _Acrie_ had told. Thankfully, the General wasn't going to let that happen now, leaving Max to wish he finished his story quicker, so he could finally get to healing the wounded man.

At least he wasn't the only one concerned.

"Alright, so ya'll split up to get out of there. How did Adrian still get hurt like that," Kent asked, looking over with his arms still crossed. "Looks serious."

"It is and I was getting to that," Juss replied, "Just that, even with everything I've gone over so far, it's a bit more out there. In short, he's poisoned, badly."

"Well, why didn't you just leave him with those, uh, _bees_ before coming here," the other man said a bit accusingly. "They sounded fairly normal. Could've perhaps helped him by now."

At that, Max saw the General rub the bridge of his nose. "I hadn't gotten to that either, Hayes," he uttered with clear annoyance, "but if you _have to_ know, they're no longer our allies," He huffed angrily, "nor are they _normal_. Damn instinct-driven traitors."

While the General's badmouthing of his 'cousins' didn't feel the best to him, the hornet understood why he did so. He too was still appalled that _Vespa_ of all bugs was willing to just give them up to be killed like that. An heir was important, yeah, but she there must've been other ways and she was supposed to be their friend.

He couldn't imagine how Hornet felt-

"Wait, the bees betrayed you," one of the soldiers, Lane, asked.

"Yes, it's why we had to run here in the first place," Juss responded sullenly. "What, did you think we came here for you? I think I made it rather clear that I thought you were dead, _or worse_."

"Alright, Sir. But why'd they do it?"

"Fine, I'll skip to it," the General sighed. "The king got to them before we made it back. Honestly, there was no real way they could've resisted him, but it would have been nicer if they had let us leave peacefully."

"Huh. If that king made the bugs turn on you just like that, then why're _they_ still with you, Sir," Smith spoke up, nodding towards Max with a suspicious look, which irked him a bit, though he knew it was kind of justified.

"Several reasons. For one, neither of them are Hivelings," the officer defended the two bugs. "They _are_ on our side, soldiers, believe me."

"You can't be sure of that, Sir," the other man argued." Why do you trust them so much?"

"I could ask the same of you four and Oro here," the General said, annoyance in his voice again.

"Well, _He_ saved our asses from those bug guards. Seemed to have no problem killing them either," Green said. "Sorry, Sir, but didn't you mention that girl in red was the king's _daughter_. And you say she isn't a liability?" The hornet's eyes widened with indignation. He understood suspicion, but this was too much, not to mention against _his_ Hornet.

"Yes, she isn't. I _told_ you, he's basically disowned her, tried to kill her as well. She is one hundred percent with _us_," Juss replied sternly, raising a palm. "Please, gentlemen, it's late, let's keep this civil. We're far off topic anyway."

"Like hell we are," Kent scoffed. "The topic's that _most _of those things are our enemies and she's one of them. I dunno how you can't see that, Juss." He then got to his feet, pointing towards the door. "Actually? If you trust her so much, tell us why she just randomly went outside, cause I say she's long gone, back to _him_."

This was too far! "No she's not, Kent. Shut up already," Max angrily barked in English, getting up as well, with the edges of his vision very slightly orange. He had _no_ right, nor even any idea about what she'd had to go through today. He knew full well that the man was a bit on the crazy side, but he'd crossed the line here. Seething, the hornet glared at him and the soldiers, who were now all staring back at him in disbelief, as were Oro, the General and, from a glance to the side, even Adrian. The young warrior's eyes widened, this time with fear, as he realized what he'd just done.

"T- the _hell_," Kent exclaimed.

"What," Lane added more quietly, but no less surprised.

"Oh, _doma_," Max could only manage, reverting to 'buggish'.

"Oh, _doma _indeed," Juss spoke up darkly, standing up to tower over him. "Listen, boy, I know the uninformed things _he_ said might've struck a chord. I can imagine how he is usually. But was it _that_ hard for you to hold it back this one time I specifically asked that you _keep quiet_?"

"I- I'm sorry, you _heard_ what he said about her," Max started sorrily, before deciding to stand his ground, crossing his arms. He'd a few things of his own he wanted to ask. "And why'd I even have to be quiet like that anyway? I know it's pretty weird, but why couldn't you explain _me_ with the rest of the stuff?

"Because I wanted them to warm up to you two beforehand," the General sternly replied, waving towards the other humans, "which, as you can see, they clearly haven't yet."

He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "But fine. What's done is done. I'll just have to go over _you_ now. I trust you're going to help me by filling some gaps?"

Max shook his head, having different, more important plans. "Actually," he spoke, "I want to go see how Hornet is doing." He looked up at Juss, a bit afraid he wouldn't let him.

"Fair enough," the man fortunately said, "you go to her. I will explain things with Adrian." The hornet nodded gratefully, then turned to head towards the door.

"Wait, where does he think he's going," Kent suddenly asked, making Max worriedly glance back, "a- and why does he sound like-"

"Reasons, Hayes. Ones I just said I'll explain, granted you sit down and shut up for once," the General boomed, while motioning for the Hornet to keep going.

He heard the two men settle back down, as the officer started with the sure-to-be long explanation. He then went through the doorway.

* * *

Stepping outside, the hornet felt the wild cave's chilly air quickly make itself present. He took a breath, relieved that the little fight in the hut had gotten resolved. Though he felt a bit guilty for leaving and making Adrian have to help the General with _his_ story. Still, he had something just as important to do. Looking ahead, he saw the long-horned female sitting on the bench, huddled in her cloak with her blade beside her, and began to approach through the ash, coming to her side.

"I am quite sure that I asked to be alone," Hornet said coldly, facing away from him.

"That a pretty long time ago now," Max replied, sitting down next to her. "Besides, I'm your, uh, _malefriend_."

"And you think that gives you the right to disregard my wishes?" There was a waver in her tone.

"N- no, of course not," the male denied, "but I _know_ it gives me the responsibility to help you feel better." He meekly looked at the female, his hand creeping to hers. "Can I do that? Or at least try?"

In response to that, the warrior finally turned towards him. Her expression looked tired and sad and there were darkened lines under her eyes, which she quickly wiped at. "Very well, Max," she said with the slightest smile, her tone now audibly shaky.

The hornet smiled back, scooting a bit closer. The two once again took hold of each other's hands, spending a few moments in silence.

"I heard yelling inside the hut," Hornet then spoke up, "yours as well. What happened?"

"Well, the humans don't really trust the two of us yet and things got a bit heated because of it," Max replied, sullenly recalling what'd caused his outburst. "You remember Kent, the one not a sentry?" The female nodded. "He even had the audacity to claim that you went outside to go back to _him_."

His friend's eyes widened. "W-what," she asked with some in-between of a stutter and hiss.

"Yeah, exactly, so I stood up and told him to screw off, did it in Human too to scare him," the male finished, still feeling just as outraged. "I mean, I know he's paranoid and doesn't know everything that's gone wrong for us today, but that doesn't mean I'll let him condemn you like that, especially now that everything's so unfair to you."

"Thank you for that, then. He most certainly deserved it," Hornet said, her tone suddenly much more saddened, as she withdrew slightly, causing Max to inwardly facepalm, angry at himself. Why'd he have to put it like that, to remind her of it?

"Hornet, I- I'm so sorry, I shouldn't've mentioned those things."

"Please, Max, It's- alright. We'd likely have come to them anyway," the female spoke quietly. She then hunched over, letting out a silent sob. "I held her in as high a regard as my own mother, Max. For so long, she essentially was one to me. And now, just because of _him_, she simply cast me, cast _all_ of us away." She glanced at the male with fearful eyes. "She was our _sole_ ally, Max. We're all but alone against the king now and he's all the more powerful from it."

The hornet didn't know how to reply. What she'd said was completely true. All he could think of to comfort her was to place his hands over her cloaked shoulders, gently stroking them, which she allowed. He definitely wasn't going to try and say any sort of 'there, there', as it really was _that_ bad for them. Still, he had to give her _some_ hope, however little. Problem was that he had a hard time coming up with any they had.

"At least _he_ still thinks we're dead or separated," he tried, despite realizing that was only unless Vespa told him, which she might as well have done now, considering how they'd had to leave the Hive. In spite of it, he went on: "And we're not. We're all still alive. I- I know it's just four, er, _eight_ of us, but we can still make a difference." He frowned. "Even if- even if _we_ won't see the end of it."

Hornet clearly didn't like the idea either. "And what manner of difference is it that would make," she asked, her tone irate. "In fact, tell me a single thing we'd be capable of changing, even if it killed us, because I truly cannot see any change even that could possibly make."

Max was taken aback. That was a _bit_ too much. "Okay, Hornet, you know it's not _that_ hopeless," he said as confidently as he could. "The king would've already fully won if it was, but he hasn't." He couldn't help a sigh. "At least not yet."

"Yes, Max, you're right," the female acknowledged. "Still, what is there we can do to stop that anymore?"

"I'm sure the General'll come up with _something_," the hornet offered optimistically. "I know his plan to attack the palace didn't go, um, the _best_, but none of us could've guessed how powerful _he_ would be. And until we reached him, things went pretty well. Plus, I'll bet that magic he has will help."

Hornet still looked discouraged. "Yet-"

"And 'sides, we've still got you too," the male continued eagerly, "you told me yourself about all that time you spent fighting on your own to survive that Infection stuff. And I don't doubt that for a moment, 'cause from my experience, you truly are that amazing a warrior. You're not alone either. You've got Juss," He glanced back towards the hut, "and I'm pretty sure Kent and those soldiers will join us too. And then there's-"

Max paused. Even though it'd have been too much to say he was normally completely incapable, his uncle sadly couldn't give much more than moral support, that was unless he'd have followed _her_ demands, which he was glad he didn't. Still, that only left-

"And then there's just-"

"You, Max," Hornet finished for him, a tiny smile finally on her face again.

The hornet shyly rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. I mean, I can hold my own in a nailfight, but I'm nowhere near your level."

"Perhaps, yet neither are those hyu-mans you mentioned," the female pointed out. "And I believe I've made it quite clear that you _can_ be my equal after the proper training." Her smile grew, cheeks becoming the slightest bit pinkish. "Not that it matters most to me anymore. Your presence alone is what does."

Max felt his own mask heat up at that. "You really do love me, don't you," he asked quietly, despite already knowing the answer, which still made him so unbelievably happy.

The warrior nodded joyfully, before back leaning to his side. "Thank you," she then said, causing him to smile and softly pull her even closer. At least for the moment, his job was done.

They sat there for some time, watching the seemingly endless flakes of ash float down from above. Content, Max wasn't sure he wanted the moment to end. After a while longer, however, the surrounding cold started to get a lot more noticeable, until a chillier gust made him have to suppress a shudder. That still didn't go unnoticed by Hornet, though, who offered to wrap part of her cloak around him.

"Thanks, b- but no need," he declined, shivering more, but having also made his mind up about something. "Look, Hornet, I think we should start heading back inside. It'll soon be late and we- we've still got to rest from today

His friend gave a nod. "Aye," she sighed, "not to mention for what's ahead of us." The two exchanged once again sadder looks. Even though this little moment they'd shared had been beyond pleasant, it sadly didn't take away from the danger posed by the king that they would have to go up against.

"We should go, lest we get any more worried again," the female piped up to Max's agreement. She then smirked, glancing at him. "At the very least your further training shan't have to wait too much longer."

"Hm, you're gonna get started with me first thing tomorrow, aren't you," Max asked, feeling the littlest bit reluctant, as they both stood up. He figured Juss would be too occupied with thinking up their next move.

"Indeed," Hornet confirmed, "but not I alone. Even if it takes slight convincing, I am beyond certain that Oro will help your training. He's a Nailmaster, after all." At Max's look of genuine confusion, she facepalmed. "_Of course you wouldn't._ Max, the Nailmasters were a school of renowned warriors from before Hallownest's fall who were known most for devising and mastering new ways of wielding a nail and passing those teachings on. I can only guess Oro's one of the last Nailsage's famed brother-students. His aging must've ceased like mine did." She paused, sighing, before shaking her head.

"But enough chatter. I am certain he'll help us." She turned towards the door. "Now let's get inside before you truly freeze."

"Right behind you," Max replied thankfully. "Hopefully, the General's settled things by now. At least sounds like it."

* * *

The two of them reentered the hut. Greeted by the now-much-more-pleasant-feeling warmth, the hornet, despite his friend's mild glare, couldn't help but shake off the cold. Noticing that, Juss rose to greet them.

"So, I hope all your talks've been talked," he said, getting affirming nods from both bugs. "Great. So have ours." He looked back at the other humans, including Adrian, who Max guessed must've crawled over, now leaned against Oro and lazily waving at him.

The three approached them and sat down, Max once again taking a spot beside the wounded man. Having done so, he saw Kent leaning closer to him.

"Hey, kid. Listen, I've been made aware of some things and I think I owe a bit of an apology for all that suspicion," he spoke, before gaining a suspicious look. "Though you _are_ Maxwell, right? Juss wasn't speaking nonsense?"

"Well, I sure do sound like him," the hornet replied, annoyed. That was putting it mildly. "And I can speak English too, unlike the others."

"Okay, okay. I get it." The human raised his palms. "All this's just so strange. I mean, you're a damn different species. At least your head was mostly left unscrewed, unlike everybody else's." He sighed, before smirking. "Now, Kid, I don't wanna pry, but what's exactly happening between you and, uh, the _princess_ over there? You two were outside for a fair bit of time."

"_Ugh, Kent_," the bug caught his uncle groan, feeling similarly.

"Her name is _Hornet_, you know, and you insulted her way worse than you did me," he said icily, not willing to let that one go just yet, "so I hope you see that what _we_ talked about is _our_ business."

"Understood. And I'm sorry for that," Kent spoke, though not really sounding all that guilty. "If you want, I could apologize to her as well."

"Don't bother. Just forget about it," Max uttered, satisfied enough, as the conspiracy theorist nodded and backed off. Even then, the conversation hadn't left him in the best mood. He turned to look at Adrian, who, despite a calm expression, seemed to have gotten sicklier again since he'd gone out.

"Hm? Max, what's up," the man asked, having noticed the bug's gaze, his voice noticeably strained as well.

"Nothing. Just wanted to ask how you were holding up," the younger male replied, trying not to sound too concerned.

"Me? I'm- _fine_. Side hasn't hurt in a while, at least, so that's good."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean the venom's any weaker," Max argued. "We should still get the General to heal you soon."

"Eh, maybe you're right, but not immediately. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't like being interrupted right now," his uncle said, pointing at the man in question, who was discussing something with the soldiers. The bug sighed, to which the wounded man rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Max. I'll be fine waiting a little longer." He reluctantly nodded.

"Good, no worries. Now, I don't mean to sound like Kent, but you _did_ actually comfort Hornet, right," Adrian then went on, obviously trying to change the subject.

"_Yes_, but that's not the point right now," the hornet replied, irritated (though not too loudly). "Uncle, I know the sting might not feel too bad right now, but it's still going to _kill_ you if not stopped. _Please_ don't play it down like this."

His relative was taken aback. "I- Alright, yeah, you- you're right, I can't," he admitted. "Sorry, kid. 'T was scummy of me. If you're up for it, we can have a look at it now." Despite knowing he wouldn't like it one bit, Max agreed and the human lifted up the bottom of his shirt, showing the sting. As he'd expected, the black streaks had spread even further, though thankfully not that far up yet, keeping around the now near-putrid wound. It looked awful.

"O-kay, this _is_ bad," Adrian breathed, making him have to hold back the urge to say 'I told you so'.

"No kidding," he instead uttered, leaning closer to softly prod, then trace along one of the thicker lines with his finger.

"Be careful there, will you," Adrian pleaded uneasily. Before the hornet could comply and take his claw off, it slid across a darker spot, which suddenly twitched, making him accidentally poke inwards. The human let out a loud, pained hiss. "_Ow!_"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the bug hastily apologized, jerking his whole arm back in shock. "_I'm so sorry_! Tell me how much it hurts!"

His uncle hissed again. "It's just- Goddammit Max, it's-," he groaned, before getting a look of fear. "It's not fading." His breaths got rapid. "Max, it's not going away! He clutched his side, hyperventilating, as the young bug stared on in utter disbelief at himself. "_Fuck_, it hurts!"

"Adrian? Max, what happened," came Juss' voice, bringing back to the moment to see everyone in the hut worriedly looking towards them, the General and Hornet quickly stepping over.

"We were taking a look at his wound and- and I accidentally hit a bad spot," the hornet explained, a tear in his eye, as the two sat down beside him. "I'm _sorry_. Juss, we were gonna ask you this already, but _please_ just heal him now."

"I honestly thought you'd be smart enough not to _touch_ the wound," the officer said disapprovingly, "but alright. I was planning on doing it in the morning, but I guess we'll get it over with now." He moved closer to the stung man, while Max muttered another 'I'm sorry' in response to Hornet's stern glare.

"Ack! God damn it, Juss, be more gentle," Adrian exclaimed, the two bugs looking at them to see the General hunched over him, pulling his shirt open.

"Sorry, Adrian. This isn't going to be painless," he replied. "Now man up and let me get a good look." He pulled the glove off his right hand and ran it across the afflicted spot, ignoring the other man's hisses and cries. "Hm, it thankfully hasn't gotten that far yet, so this _shouldn't _be too hard. Let's get you fixed, my friend."

"And just how the hell are you going to do that, Juss," Kent asked from the side. "That don't look like something you could just suck out anymore and I can't see what else you could do without the tools. Would you even know what to do?" The soldiers looked confused as well, probably meaning the General had avoided mentioning his powers to them even while Max had been outside. Oro was either hiding his emotions or genuinely didn't care.

"Watch and see, Americans. It's a rare sight," Juss spoke loudly, before raising his right hand, which started to glow a bright yellow like it had in the palace, then lowering it onto Adrian's wound, much to the other humans' visible surprise. For a few tense moments, the General held the magic limb there with a focused expression. Then, however, Max saw it become confused and the man pulled away from his still-writhing patient.

"_Mida?_" His hand's glow dying down, he leaned over the spot, where the hornet could still see the sting, seemingly unchanged.

"Juss, did you get it? It- it still hurts," Adrian said between pained huffs.

"I- No. Wait a moment," the other man uttered back, looking closely at the wound. "How'd I not- _Oh no_."

"What? What's wrong," Max asked, edging closer with growing worry. The officer shot him a grave look, before pointing at the injury.

"Look very closely. Be careful this time." The bug nodded and focused on it, doing his best to ignore his uncle's moans and squirming. After a couple moments, he finally saw that, unlike its surrounding lines, the surface of the sting appeared the slightest bit hazy and transparent, which was otherwise made hard to notice by the black.

"It's see-through," the young male spoke up, askingly glancing towards Hornet, who, however, looked just as confused.

"Indeed," the General affirmed in a heavy tone. "That's because it's only half-corporeal. It is part that hornet's venom, part her ghostly essence. Do you understand?" Max nodded, remembering how _her_ stinger had turned more visible for a moment. The human sighed. "Good. Unfortunately, this means that-"

"Hey, a- are we simply gonna ignore what he just did," Kent suddenly interrupted, having stood up. "That light and your hand. W- what the hell _was _that?"

"Something I can't bother to explain right now, so _shut_ _the fuck up_," Juss snapped furiously, before facing back towards the bugs. "Sorry, Hornet, I _had_ to. Now listen, if this was fully either a poisoned wound or a ghost's curse, I'd easily take care of it. But because it's a hybrid like this, I'm not so sure I could, certainly not without revealing myself."

"Revealing yourself to whom, Sir," Green asked.

"The king, specialist," the General hastily replied, then looked back. "I can't heal you, Adrian. I'm sorry."

"_What_," the hurt man coughed, as Max's eyes widened in horror. Glancing aside, he saw the same was the case for Kent and Hornet, who'd cupped her hands over her mask's bottom. Even the soldiers and nailmaster looked taken aback.

"Juss, please, there's got to be a way," Adrian desperately went on. "Can't you just take me to the surface and do it there?"

"No, not with your condition," the other man responded. "Even if I _sent_ the two of us up, we'd be leaving the others for dead."

"Then there is little we can do," Hornet spoke up, saddened, "save go to the Mask Maker in Deepnest and- and get one of his craft for Adrian."

"Nah. There's no way any of us would make it right now, Hornet, not even you," Juss said. "It'd be pointless as well."

He dug under the folds of his coat, from where he then yanked out a familiar-looking white shape: a bug's mask, much to the bugs' surprise.

"Whence do you have this, Lembit," the warrior asked, her tone a bit suspicious.

"I picked it from Mister Charles while you were looking around," the human replied, eyeing the magic object.

"Wait, Tim," Kent asked. "He's alive? How is he?"

"He's doing- _well enough_, let's say," Juss answered, glancing towards the whimpering Adrian, "better than him, at least." He sighed heavily. "I didn't think it'd come to this. It goes against my beliefs and I- _don't_ like it."

"It is truly sad, yes. So let's just get it over with and fast," Hornet spoke, sending Max a sympathetic look. Unbeknownst to her, however, despite the little option, none of this had sat well with the male, at all.

"No, we _can't_," he protested angrily. "We'd be giving Acrie exactly what wants and I won't have that! Uncle, think about this. That mask's gonna turn you into a bug like me. Your mind'll be changed too and it can't be reversed. Do you really want that?"

"Max," his relative replied with a low, strained voice, "I don't think you could understand how much pain I am in right now. She _is_ horrible, but I _don't_ want to die like this. This'll change me forever, yes and it'll mess with my head a little, but at least I'll stay alive and with you. Now please, Juss, put that thing on my face, before- before it gets bad again." Another hiss.

"Actually, Adrian, I think you _should_ consider this a bit," the General said. "With that queen awake, there's a chance she'll be able to rewrite much more of your mind than Max's was, maybe even memories. Also, I have no idea where we can have you change safely."

Max pointed at him. "See, it's no good. Please, uncle, there's got to be another way to save you," he pleaded, tears now coming to his eyes.

"There isn't, kid," Adrian managed, grabbing his hand. "I know it ain't fair, but it is what is. And at least when it's done, I _know_ you'll be there to help me tell right from wrong. Now will you _put that damn thing on already, Juss_!" He yelled, clutching the wound.

"Sorry, boy, he's still conscious. That means it's his call," the sterner man told the hornet, who, accepting the sad fact, nodded tearfully, taking what was probably going to be his last look at his uncle's human visage.

He then watched, as the General took hold of the mask with both hands and lowered it onto Adrian's face. The moment it made contact, the stung man cried out and started thrashing even harder, likely feeling what Max had when he'd first been 'gifted' his mask. Just like back then, though, as quickly as it'd started, it stopped and his relative was left silently laying on the floor, wheezing.

"It's gone. The pain's gone," he uttered between breaths, looking up. "I'm gonna be a bug, Juss."

"That you are, my friend," the other man sighed. "And I am honestly astounded by your pain tolerance. But now, it's time you got some rest again."

He placed a hand on Adrian's new face, which flashed a soft yellow, causing the latter to fall limp, clearly asleep. He then pulled off the Charm of Understanding, which'd clung onto the tattered shirt through all the hell that he and Max had gone through this day.

"He'll be okay," he finally said, looking at the young bugs. "Cry yourself out if you want to, but not too loud." He got up, walking to the hut's corner.

* * *

Indeed, at this point, Max couldn't help it and began to quietly sob, leaning over his unconscious uncle to hug him. He knew this wasn't his fault, that there was probably no other way, but that didn't make it any less crushing. And even then, _he'd_ hurt Adrian by prodding him. Why'd he have to be so stupid? While he cried, Hornet gave him a few comforting strokes and words, but mostly just sat by, clueless. He couldn't fault her for it, as she still wasn't that experienced in this kind of stuff. Soon, his tears had run out and they simply watched silently, as the black wound and lines started to just _fade_ away.

Shortly after that, at Oro's laconic request, the two dragged the sleeping man to the hut's wall, where the female said a few final lovably clumsy things, before going back to the nailmaster to discuss the following day's training. Left alone with his 'saved' family, the hornet wondered if he'd even be able to lift a nail. A little later, Kent stepped by to express his pity, this time sounding genuinely sorry.

Following this, Max finally started to feel the long day's toll and saw he wasn't the only one, as everyone except the soldiers and Oro had settled into their own separate corners. Some other time, he would definitely ask to snooze by Hornet, but not now. He took off his sheath and nail and laid down, sending another sad glance at his new hivemate, before falling asleep.

* * *

**ROJAS**

* * *

"And you better get it done quick, _understand_!"

The messenger nodded and ran out of the house repurposed by the sentry guard to be their local station. This was going to be another long night for him. Not too long before this, he'd been called into the soldierbugs' main office in the City of Tears and ordered to head up to Dirtmouth for a special errand. Having made it up here, a captain had brashly informed him that, by the king's order, he was to deliver an invitation to a warrior living somewhere up in the Howling Cliffs.

Though Rojas was already pretty tired from the day, he hadn't dared complain, knowing it'd only get him more berating. Now, he was heading westward out of Dirtmouth, having been told to climb up from the 'King's Pass', but nothing else. He took a last glance at the village, noting that almost all its houses had lit windows now. Over the past two days of him working, even more bugs had started show up both up here and in the capital, being given jobs and homes as new residents and servants of Hallownest, though there were no other messengers yet. Strangely, from what little the beetle had caught from some of them, they too didn't remember a thing from their time before coming here, just like him.

Shrugging about it all, he kept going into the night, leaving the village's lights behind.

After a short while of crossing the rocky terrain, careful not to stumble (while nimble, his kind was clearly not nocturnal), he reached the cliffs, looming over him in the darkness. Despite how heavy his limbs felt, he dutifully began to climb up. While doing so, though, he sighed, disheartened. While it was true that his position of courier was a rather low one, he didn't know why the sentries were _this _harsh with him. Actually, almost all the bugs he ran errands for acted a bit weird with him. The only one that didn't was Chief Scholar Quirrel. Was his unusual color of shell truly that unappealing?

He sprung up onto the smooth stone platform. Before him stood tall and closed what must've been the old large gate to Hallownest, a bug sized opening in its bottom. Rojas headed through and started down the dimly-lit cave road, until coming out the other side of the first cliff. Before him now stood another climb, clearly much higher than the last one. Rojas huffed tiredly and got to it.

After a long, grueling ascent, the vibrantly colored beetle finally heaved himself onto the rockier ledge above, catching his breath before fully standing up. Now he had to find that warrior. Looking ahead, the high cliff was barren, except for the lumafly lanterns lining the road. The only audible thing was fittingly the howling wind.

Not knowing what else to do, Rojas began to head down the path, grumbling quietly. He didn't understand why someone as great and powerful as the Pale King couldn't just send this warrior, wherever they were, the message himself. He had _spoken_ to the beetle like this when he'd first woken up.

Coming to a lower area in the road, he suddenly caught a faint whiff something. His senses might've not been those of a predator bug's, but this smell he could feel and it was good too. Glancing around, he spotted the mouth of a cave, through which came a soft glow. Hopeful that this was it, he entered, making out a further doorway of what seemed to be a house built into the cliff. Going inside, he found himself in a wide room and saw the source of the scent was a small pile of seemingly fresh food in the corner. A moment later, he froze, catching sight of the hulking cloaked male sitting in the middle, looking back at him.

"Hello there! I honestly did not expect visitors this late, especially not one so strange," the stranger spoke up, "but no matter. Who are you and why've you come here to the top of the world? To train under a Nailmaster such as I, Mato, perhaps?"

"N- no," the beetle replied, collecting himself. "Rojas is my name and I'm a royal messenger of Hallownest. I was sent up here to deliver an invitation to a great warrior living in these cliffs." He pulled the rolled paper out of his satchel and held it out, warily approaching the imposing bug. "I can only guess that means you, master."

"Well, let us see, then," the Nailmaster nodded, taking and opening the message. His eyes travelled down it and he hummed, muttering: "I _knew_ I felt someone trying to intrude in my mind. So this is what you wanted, king? Well, perhaps after all these years and this sudden _awakening_ of mine, knighthood _would_ be an interesting change." He closed the paper and put it in a cloak pocket, then looked back at the beetle.

"You have my gratitude, Rojas the messenger," he said merrily, before sadly adding: "Alas, I've not any geo to pay you for this."

"That's okay. I am paid by the crown," Rojas spoke. That was true, though it was very little. Still, his job here was done and it was time to climb all that way back. "I'll get going, then. Goodbye." He started for the doorway.

"Wait," the warrior stopped him. "It is quite late outside and you seem rather exhausted. Would you care to spend the night here, so we may both head down into Hallownest in the morning?"

This took the colored beetle aback. He _was _very tired, yes, but also had a job. "I- I can't," he stuttered. "I'm still the sole messenger and- and the sentries won't take it well at all."

Mato laughed heartily. "You needn't worry about them! I shall make sure you won't be punished. Please, I insist you stay."

The messenger spent a few moments in thought, before his tiredness won out and he nodded, though reluctantly.

"Excellent! I haven't had a guest in more than many years. If you so wish, I can help you some of my prey before we head off in the morning. You're quite spare, you know. "

Rojas was now very surprised. This undoubtedly great master was the second bug after the Chief Scholar to show him any kindness, since he'd come to Hallownest. He nodded again, now eagerly. The rations given to him in the City of Tears weren't too good, to put it lightly.

"Good," the cheery warrior said. "Now, have a stead of your liking and let us rest for this _interesting_ day to come."

The vibrant bug agreed, dragging himself to the wall, where he essentially collapsed to the floor. This wasn't as pleasant as his small bed in the city, but he couldn't care less right now. Forgetting his worries for a moment, he was out like a light.

* * *

**JUSS**

* * *

He slid his eyes over the room again, making sure _everyone_ was nicely slumbering away. Then, with almost no sound, which he may or may not have influenced, he stood up, making it for the hut door. Before he exited, though, he looked over to where two masked figures were sleeping, one of them not _yet_ a bug.

Lembit sighed. It was one less loose end, yes, but at what cost. While Adrian was nothing special, he'd been a good, seemingly hard-working man. He shook his head to clear it, before noticing the 'nailmaster', Oro, staring directly at him, though he couldn't tell if he was awake or not. Though, if that was the case, the big bug was at least polite enough not to say anything.

Without further delay, the man walked out into the cold, bright cave outside. Other than what his internal clock said, there really was no telling night from day here. He made it to the stone bench and sat down.

An unbelievable amount of things had occurred this day, some even good, but most of them very, _very_ distressing. What he'd learned of the Pale King's newly gained power still infuriated him. He knew Keepers, especially the men, were usually never that interested in 'unimportant mortal feelings', but such a _vampiric_ way to end it was horrible. Thankfully, another couple with much more potential had now been born in its stead. Still, the pale god's strength was now an undeniably serious threat, not only to America, but the entire world, as well as his plans for them. No doubt the Yankees topside were already in his actual area of influence. He could feel it herewithout even focusing, pushing ever further. That was bad.

Fortunately, though not nearly as strong, after a bit of reaching out, he could feel something else. Two something elses, actually, currently situated above at what he figured was Elsewhere and most probably among the officers leading the assault against the king's constructs. Lembit chuckled. T'was empowering to have people bonded to your bloodline for several generations now, especially close ones like them. However, he hadn't just come out here to check on them and reminisce. They had a part to play and an important one at that. He simply had to tell them that.

He raised his right hand, which gained its usual glow. To one as experienced as him, sending these sorts of 'messages' took very little effort or power, even more so when the recipient was asleep.

So, into his lit palm, he spoke in his mother tongue: "Steve, Ants, listen to me. I'm not sure how bad _they've_ already gotten, but I know it may as well seem hopeless to you two. Even then, what ever they do, you cannot let them into the mountain. I repeat, _do not_ let them into the mountain. Kill if you have to. Good night."

He caught his breath, the hand returning to normal. That was done. Hopefully, they'd be able to hold the addled soldiers off for long enough.

The man rose and turned back towards the hut. The day had been long and it was time for him too to go to bed.

* * *

**There we go. This one was even more on time. Some pretty big drama in this one, maybe even melodrama. Let me know. **

**Now read, I and probably many of you too have noticed that this story's gotten pretty slow paced. I mean, this chapter was almost exclusively dialouge. Still, I want to let you know that I'll try to end it by the end of the year, so it won't get _too _long.**

**Now, I'm off to do some things, so you just R&R and say what you thought of this chapter, alright. Remember not to catch the Infection.**


	30. Chapter 26: New Plans

Chapter 26: New Plans

* * *

**ALLEN**

* * *

Joseph didn't usually dream when he slept. Given his profession, he didn't have much time for it anyway. Right now, though, must've been an exception, as there was no way this was reality. He was floating alone in a silvery, empty void. This was more than a bit weird, since he knew dreams were supposed to be based on personal experiences, but didn't remember ever encountering anything like _this_, bar maybe the strangely altered sun. However, that didn't really matter to him, as whatever it was, it gave him a very pleasant feeling. Among other things, it just felt _peaceful_.

"_Indeed. And I alone can let you feel more of it,"_ a whispery, disembodied voice said.

Suddenly, it was as if the feeling was pulled away from him, the pale emptiness moving away as well, farther and farther. Allen found himself looking at a hazy, but recognizable distant range of rocky cliffs, the nice void now only a small white dot on its side.

"_But only if you come to me, human!" _There was a crack of lightning.

"The hell is this," the soldier spoke back, like any rational person would've. "Who are you?"

"_I am your G-"_

* * *

There was a loud blare of a horn, instantly waking the soldier. On instinct, he sprung up, then out of his bed and started to pull on his clothes and equipment. That done, he glanced beside to see his squadmates and a few other men finish doing that as well, uttering them a 'morning' and getting a few of those himself. Weirdly enough, he noticed Brooks looked a bit spooked at something, or actually, everyone did. None of them said anything, though, so he shrugged it off.

They all then quickly made it out of the tent, which was part of a small camp erected yesterday evening at the eastern end of Point Echo or Elsewhere, rather, soon after they'd reached the empty town. Indeed, by the time the platoon had made it there, the white creatures there had already pulled back towards the mountains, a few squads firing on the visible last rows of them marching away from the west side of the settlement.

Despite it, the soldiers had combed through all of the truly tiny town's buildings, just in case some of the hostiles had stayed behind, but also in hopes of finding any locals still present. Allen's squad with the Lts had searched the town hall, coming across neither, only the signs of a _very_ forceful entry, obviously by the metal things. They might've acted more and more stupid, but they packed a punch.

This had been the case nearly everywhere else as well, from the diner to the clinic, all except for what _used_ to probably be the local hardware shop, which'd had both its front as well as the first floor completely blown to hell. The former had also been littered with pieces of the creatures' armor, likely having to do with the first fireteam sent there. Regarding them, another squad had gone to check out the wreckage of the chopper meant to pull them out, recovering a single body, the pilot's.

Since by then the altered sun had started to go down, the main focus had gone to setting up for the night, the need for the tents being caused by the trashed townhouses otherwise not having enough space for all the troops. Lookouts had been assigned, as well as ones for the morning, and it'd been lights out soon after that.

With the white Sun just a little above the horizon behind them, Allen was now heading into the retaken town with Alpha Squad and the rest of the men from the tents, joined by the others that'd gotten up. As they walked along, though, the PFC found himself thinking about the strange dream and the ghostly voice heard in it, which he for some reason could still clearly remember. Wasn't he not supposed to? He shook his head. Even if so, it was good he did, as something made him _sure_ what it'd said was important, as well as making him want all the more to reach whatever was in those mountains.

The soldiers came to the local post office, which had been given entirely to squad leaders, where they spotted Clarke beside a couple other higher ranks, all of them geared up. Alpha Squad broke off from the rest to approach him, Allen raising a hand in greeting.

"Mornin', sarge," he called, as the others also saluted, "have any word on when we'll be moving out today?"

"Morning, private," the officer replied, "and soon, hopefully. Before that, though, the Lieutenant wants us all assembled for something."

"Huh. You think he'll bring up what went down yesterday," Bill asked.

"Probably, yes, but we'll just have to see," the Sergeant spoke. "Now come on. Gathering's in front of the HQ. And get your backs straight, all of you."

Only now did Allen notice that he was standing a little slouched and quickly fixed it, shaking his head again to clear it. The five men then rejoined their colleagues and they began heading for the town hall, which was where the COs had had a field headquarters set up. After little more than a few minutes, the group turned onto the wide street in front of the brick building, seeing a number of soldiers already lined up before it, facing Lieutenant L, who stood alone without his battle armor and gun, just the megaphone.

* * *

With Clarke at the lead, the squad went up to him. Judging from the sour look, he didn't appear to be in a very good mood.

"Sir," the Sergeant nonetheless greeted, all of them saluting.

"Sergeant," the officer replied coolly, "you're later than I hoped. Would It've hurt you people to jog?" The other man started to say something back, but L cut him off: "It doesn't matter. Just get in formation with the others, so we can get this over with." He huffed, muttering something unintelligible.

"Understood!" The sarge turned towards the rows of soldiers, motioning for the rest of the squad to follow.

"If I may ask, Sir," Jacques spoke up, getting an asking look from the European. "Where's the Junior Lt?"

"Well, every single one of you will be here and _someone's_ going to have to keep watch," Lihve spoke. "Now move already."

The men did just that, taking up places in the front row, as what seemed to be the last troops arrived on the street. Allen was honestly surprised it could fit them all. There was a fair amount of chatter among everyone, before a loud crackle from the Lieutenant's megaphone made them all shut up and look at him.

"**Attention,**" the officer boomed and, after a few moments of silence, added: "_**Thank you!**_" He then started to pace back and forth in front of them, saying: "**Now, as all of you may know, while it was obviously successful, yesterday's last major engagement with the enemy didn't play out to plan. For **_**whatever**_** reason, nearly every squad present opened fire early, before going against orders and advancing on them. **

**I, in a rare moment of empathy, decided not to let you have it this once, so we could focus on securing the town and eradicating those things. However, over the course of tonight, I have changed my mind." **He paused, stopping in place to look over the soldiers.

"**What the **_**fuck**_** was that,**" he yelled angrily. "**It genuinely boggles me. The orders were simple: tracers go out, we open fire. Or is it that hard to go a single damned mission without radio. You Americans are supposed to be among the most precise and coordinated in the world, I've seen it **_**myself**_**, not **_**this**_**. **

**Now, any kind of collective punishment would be beyond asinine at this moment. Because of that, the only ones I'll have taking responsibility is the squad that fired the first shots. I am not sure of the exact one, but I know they were positioned north of us. Whoever it was, sound off if you have any sense of discipline left.**"

The CO fell quiet, waiting for the answer. A couple of moments passed with no one saying a word, making Allen glance aside, confused. What the actual hell had gotten into those guys? The silence riled the lieutenant even further.

"**Oh** **come on. This is the army, not fucking prison. **_**Who fired **__**first**_**?**"

Finally, a soldier stepped forwards, standing at attention. "Sergeant Mackey, Sir! The first shots were fired by private Marsh of my squad."

"I see," L called back, _slightly _calmer. "And the rest of you thought it'd be a good fucking idea to follow his lead, huh? Look, this isn't the place I'll deal with you, Sergeant. But you're all ordered to report to me after we're done here. _Got it_?"

"Yes, Sir! Understood, Sir!" The man quickly retreated into the lines. At least he did what he was told for once.

The PFC caught L muttering something, before raising his megaphone again. "**Be aware** **my disappointment isn't only with **_**them**_**. I thought I'd be leading soldiers here. Still, I didn't have you all gathered just to yell at you. It also was to inform the Junior Lieutenant and I have come to the suspicion that the enemy's **_**'interesting'**_** behavior has been in a deliberate attempt to raise our confidence and lure us into heavier resistance, likely around the cliff range. For this reason, we'll be halting our advance for a few days to monitor their activity, before continuing the attack based on it."**

Allen was taken slightly aback by a number of gasps coming from around him, followed by disgruntled murmurs, among them Bill's. Actually, he couldn't blame them, finding himself pretty shocked as well and not in the good way. What the hell were they waiting here for when the most important thing right now was _getting to the mountains_-

"_**Quiet**_," the officer shouted, silencing the troopers. "**I am aware that our decision may not seem the most appealing or logical, but the priority right now, after eliminating the source of those golems, is keeping any more of us from getting killed, which we've managed well enough thus far, so suck it up and follow your orders. Delta squad will stay the primary lookout towards the mountains right now. For the remainder of you, I'll assign positions shortly. Dismissed!"**

Though clearly grudgingly, the soldiers saluted, before starting to disperse. Allen stayed with his squad, none of them really sure about what to do for a few moments, until they were called by the Lieutenant to approach him again, which they quickly did.

"Well, that's over with," the foreigner breathed, then said: "Sergeant, I want you five guarding the town perimeter, starting at the north. I'm thinking about having it lined with barbed wire, maybe even a trench westward, however effective those'll end up. Not very likely this place is going to see civilian inhabitants in quite some time after this."

"Sir, with all due respect, I _really_ don't think we should dig in like this," Clarke spoke up. "This'd all go much smoother if we just pushed to those cliffs and cut it short."

"Yes, it could," the higher officer replied. "As I told before, Steve and I _suspect_ the golems might try something. Still, it's important we play it safe at this time. Now, I'll stay here to manage things, while you follow your orders and get moving, _understood_?" The soldiers gave reluctant, but firm nods and the Lieutenant, satisfied, started walking to the HQ, before looking back one more time.

"Though get some food in you beforehand. Heat's even worse when malnourished."

This was met with slightly more enthusiastic replies.

* * *

The squad made it over to one of the supply trucks that'd made it to the town, getting standard MREs for their 'breakfast'. After that, despite still disagreeing with the CO's decision, they did as told, getting to the northern end of Elsewhere, where the road and buildings simply cut off, being replaced by the rocky desert. The Sun hadn't risen that high yet and the men settled on a taller hill not too far from the dead-end street. Looking around, Allen got a good look at the other units heading to their posts, as well as how small the settlement was. Seriously, its other end was well visible from there. He wasn't sure why there even needed to be a separate squad watching the mountains, which'd now caught his eye, as his could see them what looked like just as clearly.

"So, we're just gonna have to waltz around here the whole day, huh," he heard Bill ask, audibly annoyed.

"Well, you heard the Lt. They'll probably bring the barbed wire up here soon, have us put it up," Brooks replied, "though other than that, I think you're right. It's stupid, I know."

"You're damn right," the Specialist growled. "Really can't see what L's thinking with this. Couldn't _we_ just come together, get in there and finish this. To hell with safety!"

"Calm down, Johnson. He's still the highest officer present right now. That means we can't just dismiss his orders," the sarge spoke up, "besides. He's got a point. Small one, yes, but still, especially after yesterday. He was right to give us shit for that."

"Maybe, but not that much. Even if that was some huge breadcrumb, we took them down with no casualties," the Corporal argued. "By the way, when's Taylor arriving? Seems safe enough here."

"The LTC's staying at the main camp to better keep in touch with the state and the feds," Clarke replied. "He's got no reason to come here anyway, at least until we start taking _too _long." There was a few moments silence.

"Look, can we all just agree that the Lt's gone a bit too far with this, eh," Jacques piped up.

"Hm, I second that," Bill agreed. "You, Allen?"

"Same here," the PFC said, still gazing towards the distant mountains. There was something strange about them, though he wasn't sure what, just that it was hard to look away. They'd been in his dream too. That _had_ to make them important.

* * *

The five soldiers didn't stay on the hill for too much longer, marching on along their decided perimeter, specifically westward, which gave Allen an even closer view at the cliffs. He hadn't gotten any less compelled to look at them, doing so as much as he could. His companions had yet to notice or at least acknowledge it, not like they probably even cared. After all, there was little else to look at other than empty, dry terrain with the occasional shrub.

They came to another proper stop a couple hundred feet from Elsewhere's northwestern 'corner'. The Sun had gotten fairly high by now, as well as hot, prompting most of them to crouch down to better weather it. Bill even laid fully on the ground, being allowed to by the sarge after he'd reminded that any (unlikely) enemy activity wouldn't go unnoticed by the lookout squad, though on the condition that no one else saw it.

Unlike the rest of his squad, Allen didn't sit, instead wandering further away from both them and the town. Having crossed a smaller hill, he stopped, now alone, with the range ahead still the only thing he had eyes for. It seemed so close, probably less than a day on foot. If only the Europeans hadn't gotten cold feet, they'd likely have defeated those creatures by sometime tomorrow.

Suddenly, an idea flashed in the soldier's mind, one that seemed crazy, but became less so the more he _thought_ about it: if nobody else was going to do it right, why not him? Bill had been right. To hell with safety! He'd definitely reach the cliffs before dark and even if not, a flare would help with that. He also carried more than enough mags for both his rifle and sidearm and the golems were hopefully just going to stand around to be picked off anyway.

Joseph noticed his vision was a bit hazy, which he guessed was from the heat, something he was sure he could withstand, as his canteen was still mostly full and it hadn't been that long since his MRE. He was fairly positive it'd be enough to do whatever had to be done over there. And even if he had to go hungry for a while, he'd return a hero that'd done what _others_ wouldn't.

The PFC was about to set off, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Hand at his holster, he turned around to see the masked figure of Junior Lt Steve, who had somehow snuck up on him.

"Woah, easy there, soldier," the officer spoke up. "It's me."

Allen shook his head free of that haze. "Sir," he asked, now noticing the other man looked ready to draw his own gun. "What're you doing out here?"

"I could ask the same of you, private," his mission leader replied. "After all, you're some distance from the squad and I can only guess your route as well."

"Well, we stopped for a bit and I decided to sightsee what little there is to 'round here," the private said, glancing towards the mountains again, to which the CO nodded slowly, also looking over. "Not like there's much more to do." Allen let his frustration be heard. "It's bad enough that you two're stalling the attack, but why make _us_ guard around like this? The only things we've to worry about are the golems and we've lookouts for them.

"Think of who you're talking to, soldier," the European sternly reminded. "It's still better than having to sit in your tents all day. Though you're right when you say the Lieutenant went a little too far with these orders. You're not even the only patrol. The coming days, I'll make sure he gives more sensible assignments, preferably not this far out." He paused, sighing. "As for this little stop, you heard our reasoning. It's for the best."

"Still feels like nonsense to me, Lieutenant," the PFC stated, trying to sound more 'cordial' like ordered. "I mean, we're soldiers. Any potential harm's part of the course for us, even the volunteers know that. And honestly, I don't buy your 'breadcrumb' theory. Why'd they use up so many of their ranks just to lure us? How'd you even arrive at that this suddenly? Neither you nor the Lt seemed suspicious yesterday." His tone had turned accusing again.

"Well, uh-," the CO started, before saying after a short pause: "Look, Allen, I- Wait, what's that sound?" He glanced around, causing the soldier to frown suspiciously. Was he seriously trying to distract him like this?

Then, however, he heard it as well: what sounded like scratching coming from somewhere around their feet. He looked down, his gaze quickly coming to an otherwise unnoticeable hole in the ground. Before he could do anything else, the Junior Lt was already crouched beside it, reaching inside with his hand. Almost instantly, he hissed with pain. After a few moments of struggle, he pulled it back out with a small explosion of dry dirt, grasping some kind of animal.

"The hell is that," Allen exclaimed, genuinely surprised. The creature was clearly an invertebrate, around the same width as a horseshoe crab, but a lot stockier. There were spikes running across its dark shell and it had two shiny black eyes.

"No idea," Steve responded, struggling to hold the flailing thing with the now scratched and bloodied limb. "But I'm fairly certain of where it came from." He looked towards the cliffs.

"Huh? Then it could have something to do with the golems," the American cautiously pointed out.

"Nah, I don't think so," the officer rebut. "Look at it. Probably just an animal from wherever they're from who's gotten out. We found a smaller one with wings that'd been shot dead near town hall."

"Well, what do we do with _this_ one? Keep it," the PFC asked.

"I even would, but there's no time for a live specimen right now. We let it go," the other man uttered, tossing the critter to the ground. Landing on its tiny legs, it quickly started to scurry away. "It'd better burrow back down before the Sun gets it. It'll be midday soon, which is why we're getting the others and going back to base. I won't have you cooking out here."

"Roger that." Allen turned to follow him back. Suddenly, a strong fit of haze went through his head, causing him to stumble and nearly fall. The officer looked around.

"You alright, Allen," he asked, to which the soldier gave a thumbs up, getting fully upright. "Lovely. Now before we go: concerning your questions before about our situation, the only thing I can say is just that you follow your orders and things'll go well. Understood?"

The private nodded, though with a frown. He was starting to get tired of those seemingly-empty words.

"Good to hear. Johnson's whining was already enough. You think he's fallen asleep by now?"

The soldier's eyes widened slightly at. "Huh, you saw?"

"Yes. Now let's go wake him up before you get any more addled," the man deadpanned, before setting off, Allen swearing he could hear him quietly add: "Heat's no longer the only thing that does so out here."

He shrugged to himself and started after him, though not before sparing a last glance at the mountains. On a late second thought, he probably wouldn't've last long over there without _some_ supplies, if he was going to go through with it at all, which obviously wouldn't be now. Still, that wasn't the only thing on his mind. From their sudden decision and way they acted about it, it seriously felt like there was something off about the COs, like they knew something he and the others didn't. Something important about the mission.

And he was seriously starting to wonder why they were keeping it to themselves.

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

Hornet hadn't expected this, although she most likely should've.

She was stood at the edge of a modestly sized cave, watching toward its middle, where Max and Nailmaster Oro were taking turns slashing at one another, then a practice dummy fashioned from a dead hopper's shell. They had arrived not too long ago, having woken up only slightly earlier, in tandem with the others in the hut.

Whilst the three of them had departed for the training session, Lembit had taken it upon himself to go hunting, leaving behind the hyu-mans, as well as the newly masked Adrian, whose scent was already that of a proper male, to the _other_ hornet's clear dismay.

She let out a sigh, looking at her 'malefriend'. Although he appeared his usual ferocious, more than slightly imprecise self now, it'd taken a fair bit of convincing to give him the courage that he come and continue the honing of his skills, having still been demoralized from the evening prior. Truthfully, while she loved him, the warrior was not yet fully sure what to think of his 'display' yesterday. On one claw, it was indeed very sad that his relative had to shed his birth-form to live on, being the last in the lengthy series of horrible things that they'd had to endure that day, but on another, it'd been a truly shameful show of weakness for a warrior.

Despite it, she still felt more inclined to forgive him, mostly due to his pleasant comforting of her in her time of need not long before, on the bench, which hadn't been that great a showcase of strength for her either. While the male's words hadn't made their defeats any less crushing, especially the Hivelings'betrayal, it had helped her regain _some_ hope for the times ahead, which was why she'd remained by his side for so long when he had broken down over his relative.

It gladdened her that even this short while of sparring had already raised the hornet's spirits so well, perhaps in part because of his new teacher. From the way he'd otherwise behaved last night, the Nailmaster had been unexpectedly forthcoming at her request to aid with Max's training.

And from what she'd witnessed so far, the large bug lived up to his title, having the strictness needed from a proper teacher, while not being overly harsh and, when they were deserved, even offering the younger male words of praise, which Hornet had herself only started to receive when she'd first gone to the Hive to train under Vespa's knights, who'd been as good-natured as their sisters. Oh, how much she already missed them all. Why'd it have to go like so-

_No. _She shook her head._ She couldn't begin sulling over that now._

However, while his methods of teaching it were good, the style with which Oro fought wasn't too much to the female's liking. From what she had glimpsed when he'd been doing away with the great hoppers yesterday to the ways of attack he was now showing Max, his wielding of the greatnail truly seemed more befitting a club, although that made sense, considering his Nail Art, the Dash Slash.

While Hornet knew from memory the Arts created by the brother-students, as the years had passed, she'd forgotten which one had devised with which. And though meeting Oro was still an honor to be sure, she couldn't help feeling a tad disappointed upon remembering his technique was the one she considered the most brutish, as well as useless out of the three.

At least Max was following his examples well, which comforted her a little, even if it meant accepting that she likely wouldn't be able to teach out of him his rugged handling of the nail.

Unfortunately, it also meant that her more elegant form (that she may have been the slightest bit biased towards) wasn't currently of much use, as it would've clashed too greatly with theirs, which was the reason she'd simply looked on thus far. It wasn't as if it really mattered that much. She was _perfectly _content watching her malefriend further ready himself for the battles ahead, while appearing to have an enjoyable time doing so, dodging and striking without a visible care in the world…

Very well, perhaps she did wish she could join him in practice soon, if only to regain some more confidence in her own mettle. Then again, a part of her feared that, due to their now-realized feelings, she'd no longer be able to push herself and start holding back when they fought, in case she went too far and truly hurt him by accident-

The warrior cut that weakling thought short. She was skilled enough to _not_ let that happen.

* * *

The very next moment, Max dove forward yet again, dealing a wide swing at the dead hopper. He glanced excitedly at the female, then the Nailmaster, who she saw nod back.

"Excellent, my young hornet," he praised. "I must say, for one with so little apparent training, your skill is impressive. I however believe it's been enough for you and I. Step aside, so I may be started with your friend." Max listened, backing away, while he looked towards the surprised Hornet, who really hadn't thought he'd show interest in her, causing her to not approach right away.

This short hesitation annoyed the master. "Do come already, spiderling. I know our styles may differ, but I am certain there is _something_ I can teach you."

"Very well," she replied, moving nearer to the male and aiming her needle towards him. "Shall we begin?"

"Don't be hasty," Oro said, pointing to the dummy. "First, show me what exactly I'm to expect from you." The halfling nodded, turning her blade towards the shell, before dashing forth and cutting into it. That was followed by a flurry of quick, accurate slashes, which she ended by piercing the hopper's mask. Having pulled the weapon out, she looked back at the Nailmaster, curious for his thoughts.

"Hmph, I see," the large bug spoke, nodding slightly. He brought his greatnail forth. "Well, no reason to further stall. Show how well you can stand against me, Weaver."

Not letting her joy at being called that show, Hornet oriented herself towards him, readying the needle again. Then, she shot forward, leaping into the air to avoid an expectedly wide attack from the Nailmaster. However, as she landed behind him, her shoulder was brushed by the same swing, knocking her off-balance for a split second. Shrugging it off, the warrior turned and struck at her opponent's back, causing him to growl and swiftly grab onto her with his off-hand, pulling her back in front. Freeing her arm, she narrowly avoided two more less-broad slashes and jumped away to better regain her bearings.

In response, the other warrior changed his stance, clearly channeling strength for his Art, to which she reset hers as well, wanting to make this the decisive clash. The Nailmaster dashed forward, crossing half the cave's width in an instant, as she sprung up, intent on getting behind him again. Before she could, though, she was suddenly grabbed, this time without escape, and hit with the flat side of the greatnail, sending her to the ground.

"Hornet, you okay," Max exclaimed worriedly, coming closer, to which the halfling held out her palm, the crash having hurt her pride more than anything else.

"I am fine, Max. No need to help," she groaned, rising to her shaking feet and looking up at Oro, feeling ashamed. It was the second time a bigger opponent had bested her in such a way. "I'm probably right in saying you are not very impressed with that."

"Not necessarily, Weaverling," Oro responded. "Your approach has your kind's swiftness and agility. It is quite good. But it's hindered by what I can only guess are the countless years you've spent battling those sluggish husks who you probably could expect nothing more than direct attacks from. Now that they're gone, you'll have to relearn how to fight bugs my size. I shall teach you that."

"I'd be glad to learn, master Oro," Hornet thanked with a smile, bowing.

"Still, you didn't have to hit her down _that_ hard," Max spoke, arms crossed, making her roll her eyes. While his care for her was charming, At times she could've done without this sort of coddling.

"Hmph, know that I could have easily hit her twice as hard," the Nailmaster retorted. "You didn't complain when I knocked _you_ about." That shut the hornet up.

"Regardless," the female said, "Shall we begin with my lesson?"

"Not right now. I want you at your very best for it," the big warrior shook his head. "Instead, why don't you show how it is you two practice on your own."

Hornet, at least, found it a good idea and nodded eagerly, to which the master stepped to the cave wall, giving them space. She then looked over to Max. It may've not been the best of her, but she was glad to have a slightly easier opponent for once (though his skills were nothing to scoff at). To her delight, the male appeared ready as well, smirking at her.

"Let's show him, then. I promise I'll give you my best," he said confidently, as they started to circle one another.

"You'd better, as so will I," the halfling threatened playfully, waving her needle.

"Heh, at least I won't be able to grapple you like that," her malefriend chuckled.

"But you'd enjoy that, wouldn't you," she asked.

"_Maybe_, only to keep you safe," he replied, before they both heard Oro grumbling something. "Still, even in training, I don't wanna do something like he did to you. How long do we do this?"

"I say until one of us has disarmed the other," the female offered, which her companion agreed with.

They both halted, getting into proper stances. Moments later, nearly in tandem, they swung at each other. Hornet's attack, however, had been quicker, letting her force Max on the defensive. While she wasn't as mobile as she'd been with Oro, her strikes were far more unforgiving than during their spars in the Hive. Even then, the hornet parried them well enough, owing to Oro's advice to him earlier, and managed to slash back. She dodged, keeping her eyes on his nail she'd have to get hold of (which was likely what she should've done when fighting Oro), before trying to get up close again, only to have to ward off more forceful blows from the male, who began to push forward.

Steadily retreating, the warrior kept parrying, while also sneaking in attacks to knock the nail from her opponent's hand. Still, the other bug had truly improved in defending, making most her successful strikes end up being small scratches in his shell or sheathe-straps. She'd have been more proud, but was currently set on victory. Finally, she managed a hit that knocked him off-balance. Before she could land another, though, the hornet swayed around, stumbling into her.

"C'mon, give me," he said, trying to grab for her blade, which she wasn't going to let happen.

"Words won't help, Max," the Weaverling uttered back, trying to knock away his, but bringing them to a clash instead. She then made to get away again, yet suddenly found their legs were interlocked, causing them both to fall, with Max right on top of her needle. Momentarily, excitement turned to fear and she pulled it aside, losing grip on it as they landed. Despite that, the fight was not over and Hornet began to try and grasp it, while Max reached for the nail he'd also dropped.

Unwilling to take chances, she wrestled free of him, pouncing for the honey-blade. However, she was tackled and pinned by the hornet, who found and stuck his fingers into both her shoulder joints, causing her to yelp out. It tickled!

"No, Max! Stop, please," she exclaimed, thrashing under him, to which he kept wiggling his claws.

"Not until you say I win," the male laughed back. "I-" He stopped, staring ahead. Confused, Hornet craned her mask up to see that, for one, they'd ended up in the training-cave's entrance, but also a pair of familiar hyu-man foot-garments.

"Uh, hi, Sir," Max greeted a tad uneasily. "You're back already."

"Indeed," Lembit replied, audibly maskless. "And I see you're having fun, which's good, though I hope you've learnt something as well.

"Yeah, Oro's been of great help," the hornet affirmed, his grip on the female loosening. This was what she'd waited for. In mere moments, she pulled him under her and snatched up her blade, bringing it near his mask, which she glared at.

"I _win_."

"Whoa," the male chuckled, awed. She couldn't help it and began to giggle as well.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

Their little laugh laughed, Hornet got off, helping him to his feet as well.

He seriously hadn't thought that just training for a little while would help his mood so much. The young male had woken to the sight of his uncle, which'd made him feel similarly to yesterday night. However, after a bit of encouraging from Hornet and seeing Oro's approach to teaching with the nail, it'd already started to improve. He'd seriously grown to like the quiet Nailmaster. He was professional, but also had nice words for when he was doing well. He had also given Max some tips on defending himself, even with his 'hornet-y' fighting style, and said he was on his way to learning the Dash Slash.

Now, the enormous bug approached, joining them in the cave passage.

"Young ones and their ways," he muttered, before greeting Juss: "Human, you're back. With prey, I hope."

"Yes, it's the reason I came by, aside seeing your progress," the General replied. "I can't seem to get it inside. Would you mind sparing some time to help cut it up?" He pointed back towards the hut, beside which Max finally saw and sensed the enormous corpse of a boofly, its mask gone.

"An impressive kill, surprisingly so. Of course I shall help you," the Nailmaster agreed. "And we'll head in after that. These two have become too rowdy to train for now." 'The two' smirked at each other.

"Good, I didn't want to wait too long," the human said a bit oddly, before drawing his greatnail and moving to work on the kill with Oro.

They started hacking at the dead beast's shell, soon breaking through and beginning to cut big chunks of the meat, all the while Max and Hornet looked on from the bench, both of their blades too small for the job. However, they were happy to help carry the pieces with the General (the hornet having to resist taking a bite), with Oro dragging the remaining now-small-enough boofly.

They stepped inside, getting the humans' attention, as well as Adrian's, who raised a hand at Max. He waved back, sighing. His uncle had gotten over the sting very well and aside from now speaking 'Buggish', nothing else had really changed about him, yet.

Maybe the change wasn't going to be that bad.

While the bugs set their loads of meat by the hut wall, Juss took one over to the others.

"Breakfast is served, gentlemen," he declared, ripping out chunks and one-by-one tossing them to the humans. "Menu's meat and nothing else."

"Sir, we've spent days eating raw meat," Green spoke up. "Can't you do so- _ah__!_" He hissed, dropping the piece thrown to him.

"Look again, Specialist," the officer smirked, as Max noticed his hand was glowing again. "It's the least I could do. We're not savages here."

"That's just showing off, Juss," Adrian pointed out, receiving his meal.

"Perhaps. It doesn't make it less useful," the other man replied, the yellow dying down.

"Yeah, it's proper food for once," Kent added, already gnawing on his cooked piece. "Satanic proper food, but still."

"Paganic, rather," Juss corrected, as the bugs arrived to sit down as well, "but thanks. Now let's eat."

* * *

For the next few minutes, the most of them did just that, even Max, having grabbed a small piece for the heck of it. It was fresh, after all.

"Don't see why you complained. This's not bad," spoke his uncle, whose piece had been left raw for some reason. Still, it made him and Hornet share a knowing glance. At least something else had changed. Soon, the humans were done, wiping their hands into their clothes, as Juss had them make a better circle.

"Very well, let's get started," he began the small 'briefing, in which he explained to the soldiers and Kent who exactly the Pale King was and how he'd murdered the White Lady, becoming much more powerful from it. However, new to Max, he then spoke on about how the king, being a god, grew his power from the worship of subjects, who in this case were the changed people of Elsewhere, as well as the sentries and other bugs still living in Hallownest.

"-because of this, if we want to stand a chance against the king himself, we're going to have to limit his subjects, one way or another," he said. "The soldiers, we'll very likely have to kill. Any questions?"

"Yeah, quick question, Juss," Kent spoke up. "During all this, you've made it seem like it'll be the nine of us going up against all them bugs. Has it occurred to you that the army's probably days away from getting here and helping us out?"

The General sighed in response. "I was going to get to that, Kent," he said darkly. "And yes, I was counting on that at first. They're even fairly near if I'm right. However, he knows it and from what I can _feel_, all his focus is on them. And from how powerful his influence now is, those soldiers won't be able to resist it. He'll get control over them, bring them here, turn them into bugs and then, his power will be near unstoppable. That's why _we_ have to do this and _fast_, because we've little time, a week at most."

He sighed again, looking at the shocked humans.

"That's- That's crazy. Sir, what the hell do we do then," Lane asked.

"There's a couple ways. The easiest would be to just exfil and nuke this place from orbit. Even _he _won't survive that," he put out, this time to almost everyone's horror, all save the two native bugs', who were confused.

"_Nyuuk_? What is it that means, Max," Hornet asked with slight worry.

"It- It means we'd escape and use something that'd destroy all of Hallownest and everyone in it," the young male replied, causing her eyes to widen as well.

"_What_? We most certainly cannot do that," Oro spoke loudly. "Human, there has to be more honorable ways of doing things."

"And there are, master Oro," the General replied, "though they'll be much harder, for all of us. We'll have to lessen his worshippers. It may be difficult with some, but we can hopefully convince the normal bugs to turn away by telling of his evil. I'm also sure there's a way to give the bugs from Elsewhere their memories back and have them join us. However, with those sentries, it'll undoubtedly be more violent. The White Lady told me the king had one hundred at first, but some are bound to have died by now-"

"And the sum of us's just supposed to kill the rest," Smith asked. "I mean, all of us can kill, but we won't be able to-"

"And we won't need to," Juss interrupted. "There's still other bugs who are willing to fight the king." He looked over to Hornet. "We just need to find them and get them to listen to _one_ of us."

"And why would they ever listen to me," the female spoke, annoyed. "My kind reviles me for my father, the other tribes as well. They'll never ally with Herrah's heir!" Max place a hand around her shoulder.

"Well, at least a few of them should ally with the one warrior that stayed strong during the many years they slaved under the Infection," the human replied, before pointing at the Hornet, "as well as the first of a kind long thought destroyed."

The young male's eyes widened in realization, as his uncle angrily spoke up: "Forget about it, Juss. You're not sending him back into that hellhole."

"Yes I am, Adrian," the other man insisted sternly. "Someone's got to do it and I refuse to split you two up anyways. You're going into Deepnest and finding us some tribalbug allies. Got it?" Understanding that it was pretty much necessary, Hornet doing the same beside him, though much more reluctantly.

"Hmph, not so fast, human," the Nailmaster growled. "Max's yet some left to learn and I've agreed to aid the Weaverling improve as well. They shall stay here a while longer."

"Very well." The officer waved dismissively. "At least your part is clear. Now for you, gentlemen." He turned to the other humans, a hand under his chin. "_Let's think_." He glanced at the halfling. "Hornet, would you know which of Hallownest's settlements is the furthest. Best if we just start chipping off the edges."

"Hm, well, I'd say Dirtmouth. It is the sole village on the surface, in a valley between the Howling Cliffs," the female explained, somberly adding: "I wished to live there before all this started."

"And you still can if this goes right," the human insisted, looking back at the soldiers to translate what she'd said.

"If I may, Sir," Lane spoke up. "What exactly will we be doing there?"

The officer stared at him. "Oh, come on, Lane. You three are from Groom Lake. You have to have been part of an occupation op before."

"We're security, Sir. We're taught to shoot aliens, but we're not CIA," Smith said. "Even if we were, we couldn't take that village or whatever with just these swords. We need more equipment."

"Oh, yeah, equipment," Juss huffed, clearly in thought again, "preferably your own. The only places those'd be in would be the palace, which we _won't_ get in or-" Again, he looked at Hornet. "Is there some place in Hallownest where they could be studied? A science laboratory of some sort?"

"Yes," Hornet, who he'd basically relegated to an encyclopedia, affirmed. "The only place of science I know of the scholar Monomon's archives in the Fog Canyon. From what I've seen, there are already bugs there as well."

The man translated it to the others, then said: "She'll let you know where it is, so you can go in and hopefully reclaim your weapons and the like. After that, you can head to the surface. Clear?" The four humans (Max was a bit surprised he was letting Kent tag along with this) nodded.

"Good. Now," He pulled out the Charm of Understanding previously worn by Adrian, "this will let one of you talk to bugs. It's important you make them understand why we're doing this."

"A'ight, so who'll have it," Kent asked with a grin, to which the General momentarily looked as if he was going to shoot him.

"Lane. Lane will have it." He handed the charm over.

"Okay, I got the basic idea of our, um, _part_," the soldier in question replied, fastening it. "But what will you be doing, Sir?"

"Me? I'll be dealing with Adrian," he replied, looking at the masked man. "We still need to get you a safe environment for your change, which is why you're leading me back to Vespa."

Max wasn't having that, as wasn't his uncle. "Like hell I-"

"I know, I know" the General interrupted. "She's a horrible bug, but she's also going to know what to do with you." He glanced at the hornet. "Besides, it's probably best if you enter Deepnest from that cave of hers."

The male wanted to protest, but was silenced by a silent nod from his companion.

"Fine," he reluctantly agreed. "So what will you do from there?"

"I'll share a piece of my mind with your queen and try making sure she won't go too far with Adrian," Juss responded, "when he's done, I'll check up on you two, then head to that town to help Lane's team secure it, start restoring memories of anyone Kent recognizes. And after you three have gotten up there as well, we start working on taking the capital."

He sighed. "I know there's a lot of rough edges we need to hammer out, but hopefully, you understand the basics."

He stood up.

"Gentlemen, lady, Let's get to work."

* * *

**So here it is, another late night upload. Some story developments and some filler, as both the characters and I figuring out on the go what they're going to do next. **

**I feel like the military part came out a bit clunky with this one, so sorry. Also the end, which may feel a little rushed. I just don't want to keep you waiting right now.**

**Taking tomorrow off. Next chapter will be a bit shorter hopefully. R&R, before the government decides it's a non-essential activity. Viva la libertad and good night.**


	31. Chapter 27: Back to Deepnest

Chapter 27: Back to Deepnest

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

Despite how enthusiastically Lembit had declared it, 'getting to work' truly just meant beginning work on the details of the basic scheme he had presented. Personally, Hornet didn't feel so avid about any of it, especially having to return to the place that loathed her so. She also wasn't quite sure if such a _takeover_ of the small surface village was the smartest way of convincing the bugs there to join their cause. Nevertheless, with how little time they apparently had, she'd no choice other than going along. It wasn't as if she would think of something else, not in such haste at least.

Most of their focus was currently on the other hyu-mans' role, as the female showed them the paths they should use in order to reach their goals with help from an old cave-map Oro had recovered from somewhere in the hut, as well as telling of the environments and what they were to be wary of, starting with the misty caves of Fog Canyon, which Max seemed to find interesting as well. However, he sadly couldn't listen in for long, as the Nailmaster soon rose to his feet, bidding that he follow him back outside, not only to save time, but also because his and Hornet's place in the plan was already much more well-defined. The hornet gave a sullen nod and approached, as did Lembit.

"Master Oro, could we speak for a second," he spoke up, receiving something akin a 'yes'. "Lovely. Now look, I understand you wish to properly train those two, I do. However, with the rate Adrian's changing, I sadly can't give you much more than half a day for it. I still want the four of us to leave for Deepnest together."

"That- won't be much of a concern," the large bug replied. "For Max, simple practice will suffice and, considering how skilled she is already, I believe Hornet shan't take half that long to pick up what I promised to teach her." He sent a surprisingly proud glance at her, taking to account his defeat of her earlier. (Then again, it was what he would help her learn from)

"Good, then we're staying on schedule," the hyu-man said, returning to the others, while the two males left the hut. "Keep going, Hornet."

She abided, continuing her description of the bubble-filled canyon, warning of the ones with tendency to explode. Unfortunately, she hadn't a lot to tell of the Archives themselves, having never explored far past the entrance due to the acid in the halls, but also from general disinterest. Instead, she moved to how the hyu-mans were to make their way to their next goal, that being Dirtmouth, to where she showed two good paths: one being a set of passages leading up to the Crossroads, while the other, less cumbersome, but definitely riskier, option was them using the stagways, which could've had both sentries and their namesakes heading through. They would've also had to use the stop in the gardens, as Lembit told that Queen's Station had been made into a camp by the soldierbugs.

Ultimately, the decision was left up to the hyu-mans, allowing the warrior to move on to talking of Dirtmouth, which was quite a lot easier because of its small size and largely barren surroundings. However, she did demand (or rather plead) that they wouldn't be forceful with anyone other than the sentries stationed there. From the single day she'd been able to reside in the village, the common bugs living there had proved to be something she wished to protect, not to mention they were now likely joined by at least a few of Max's changed tribesmates.

Still, with the route described, she was quickly prompted silent by the General, who, using a number of terms foreign to her, began telling the four more thoroughly how they were to act during their task, insisting, for example, their need to keep hidden. He spoke particularly sternly to the one named 'Kent', the only in the pack not a trained sentry that Max had also told was quite untrusting, having even insulted her yesterday due of it. Why Lembit let him take part in the plan at all, she hadn't a clue.

Soon enough, the tall male spoke his last and rose, the entire preparatory run-through having probably not taken much more than an hour. The rest of them got to their feet and the three hyu-man sentries took their nails, with all four of them each also receiving magic-cooked chunks of boofly the General said were 'for the road'. They then moving to exit the hut, Adrian waving goodbye from by the hut wall.

As the General had mentioned, the masked male's changes had already started, the molt-esque shell spreading from where his wound had been, unlike with Max and his hand. And if her malefriend's process was anything to go by, it'd likely soon get faster.

* * *

Making her way outside with them, Hornet decided not to stay for the hyu-mans' departure and turned to head to the training cave. Rather surprisingly, she was joined by '_Leyn_', the soldier whom Lembit had entrusted Adrian's Charm of Understanding to, essentially making him the other sentries' leader. Despite that, they both stayed silent as they walked into the smaller cavern, where the warrior saw Max and Oro were currently sparring, the hornet being overly wild in his approach as was usual to him. Even so, instead of it leading to yet another loss, her dear companion appeared to be persisting quite well, swiftly parrying his opponent's heavier blows.

All of a sudden, he rushed right up to the larger bug, making the female fear the latter would cast him aside and that'd be the end of it. Before the Nailmaster indeed could, however, the hornet _kicked_ at his greatnail, causing it to fly from his hand and land with a deep clatter. Then, Max triumphantly aimed his own blade toward the now dumbfounded master.

Hornet too doubted for a moment if she could truly believe it, before realizing the idiocy in that, as well as how proud and happy she was. Unable to contain herself, she let out a cheer. He'd done it!

"Not bad," the hyu-man beside her muttered, as the master and victorious student looked over, the latter wearing a wide grin. They approached the newcomers and greeted them.

"You chose a good time to arrive, Hornet. I shall get started with you right away," Oro spoke next, then looked at _Leyn_. "But firstly, why did you come here, human? I took it you and your pack would be off now."

"We'll be gone pretty soon, yes," the sentry affirmed. "I just wanted to use this little opportunity," he pointed at his charm, "to properly thank you on each 'f our behalves for all the help you've been to us, Oro. There's always a chance we won't get another in this line of work."

"So there is," the Nailmaster agreed. "Fare well, then. I hope the nail-handling I taught you three will be of at least some use."

"Yeah. I even think I'll keep mine after I have my gun back," Leyn said. "Goodbye." He raised his hand next to his head, which Max whispered was a hyu-man show of respect, before turning around and walking out the cave to leave with his companions. Oro then redirected his attention to Hornet, as she did hers to him. Her training had begun.

The bigger warrior launched into explaining what he would teach her of avoiding being grappled like earlier, while she anxiously listened. It'd been a fair while since she'd added something truly new to her skillset, as no husk or larger traveler infringing in Hallownest had indeed never matched her haste. Thankfully, the talk of theory wasn't too long and the male indicated that she prepare, before quickly reaching towards her with both greatnail and his free hand. On instinct, the Weaverling dodged out the blade's way, right into the limb, with which he shoved her away and into a fall.

"Again," the Nailmaster barked, as she was begrudgingly helped up by Max, who, much like her before, had been relegated to look on from beside.

Fortunately, this was her sole true failure and she quickly learned, as the master had taught her, to align her blade in such a way that any who'd try to grab her couldn't do so without bringing harm to themselves. So, over the course of what must've been another hour, she practiced against several attacks of the sort, both from the ground and while she was leaping, her newly learned ability gradually improving. At last, Oro had Hornet get in position for an actual spar. Max, enthusiastic as ever, tried to cheer her on, but was hushed by a glance from both warriors.

Then, she sprung forward, avoiding a swing from her tutor by slipping betwixt his legs, at which she also jabbed with her needle, causing the male to grunt with pain and blindly slash behind him. Avoiding the attack without effort, Hornet dealt a few of her own at his back, before the Nailmaster turned around proper with another, wider slash, making her have to dodge again. The large warrior then stepped forward, unleashing two more strong blows that forced her even further back. Unwilling to retreat any more, she retaliated, parrying the next strike and delivering one herself.

Before he could properly respond, she leapt up and saw his other hand come up to send her teetering off course. This time, though, she expected it, swatting it aside (not too harshly, of course) and landing behind him. The master frantically tried reaching for her again, only for the halfling to ward it off, then stab, as well as shove at his back, making him roar and collapse to his knees.

Hornet quickly slipped back in front of him, where she proudly aimed her needle his way.

"I am victorious," she said, grinning, as the Nailmaster nodded, breathing heavily.

"I- I'd say that, indeed, Weaverling," he agreed between heaves, slowly getting back to his feet with help from his greatnail. "Congratulations. Your short training is done." He gave a deep bow, which the female respectfully returned.

"Thank you, Nailmaster."

At that moment, she glimpsed as Max, who'd remained silent for the duration of the spar, jumped up, cheering a multitude of compliments at her.

"Told you you were amazing," he finished them with a smile, approaching, with Hornet in turn stepping to meet him. "Let's get back to Juss and my uncle, so we can get going."

"Why'd we do so this early, young hornet? The human gave us the entire half of this day," Oro spoke up, confusion and the slightest bit of hurt in his tone. "With luck, you may even yet be able to master my Dash Slash in this time."

"Well, I don't think it'll be very useful in a narrow place like Deepnest. And the General did say 'half a day at most', so he probably won't like if we actually take that long," Max explained, before looking at Hornet. "Besides, I- I _really_ don't wanna risk my uncle to start hurting again like I did changing."

She nodded, understanding.

"Hmph, very well," the larger bug said. "You are prepared enough even without it."

They made their way back to in front of the hut, where the two hyu-mans (the word debatable for one of them) were waiting on the bench. Upon seeing them, Lembit stood up.

"Hm, you took shorter than I anticipated, but that's _only_ good," he greeted, once they'd come to him. "Although I do hope you were able to teach what was needed, master Oro."

"Indeed, human," the Nailmaster affirmed. "While I couldn't yet teach Max all of my Nail Art, I was witness to and helped improve Hornet's skillset. They are both ready."

"Then what're we waiting for," Adrian asked, rising as well. "Max said the change's going to hurt at some point and I _really_ had enough of that yesterday. I wanna get this over with, even if it means _her_. _And_ Deepnest."

"And we will. Everything's set," the other hyu-man said. "I took enough food for the two of us." He pat a clearly filled pouch on his cloak-garment, then looked at Max and Hornet. "You've got all you need already. Let's get moving, people, bugs."

He looked about to set off, but was halted by Oro, who suddenly appeared rather confused.

"If I may, human, what am I to do now? You've not made that clear. Must I head someplace as well or do I remain here and await your return?"

"No, master, and thank you for reminding," Lembit replied, turning back his way. "I'd like you to head up to Dirtmouth and help the others when they get there. You shouldn't attract much attention from sentries. In fact, if they allow you to, make your way through the capital to see how matters are over there. It'll surely be of use later."

Showing no reluctance, the Nailmaster agreed to the tasks and without further ado, the pack of five started back towards Hallownest.

* * *

The journey through the large cavern thankfully proved much less eventful this time, with no hopper, great or small, in sight or earshot and even their rancid scent seeming more faint. Despite it, none from their group spoke as much as a single word. Walking beside him, Hornet took notice of Max sullenly looking towards his relative again, letting out a sigh every so often. She, in turn, sent him a sympathetic glance, it being the most she could sadly do at this time and place. Her own mood wasn't helped a great deal when they passed the wide spire leading down to the Hive, which the males treated as if it wasn't even there.

Once they started nearing the passage into the chasm bordering the city, she grew more attentive, as did most her companions, with Lembit ordering that they stop while he snuck ahead to scan for any sentries possibly on guard. After a couple of moments, he motioned them permission to keep after him. The bottom of the tall cave was fortunately indeed clear, though they knew not for how long. After all, Hiveling swarms were also a threat now.

Without wasting much time on goodbyes, they parted ways with Oro, who began climbing up a narrow path on the ravine's side to gain entry into the city, while the four of them went along the trail going beneath it and to the waterway's lower pipes, since there was little possibility of them making it to the one they'd exited from yesterday undiscovered. Still, this didn't mean they could move any less cautiously. On the contrary, for the path did also lead to the basin, as well as the entrance to Hallownest's newest 'domain', which was undoubtedly guarded, as Apisia had indirectly hinted at.

That in mind, the pack kept to between the rocks laying aside the path. Despite Adrian's few, quiet complaints of the uneven ground, it soon proved to be a good decision, when Lembit caught sight of a small swarm emerging ahead, ordering them all to get into the boulders' cover. Hornet ducked down and not before long, could hear the approaching buzz of wings. The hyu-man whispered from his spot to prepare for a fight, which she nodded to, though the thought scared her. Even in light of the betrayal, she didn't want to combat them yet.

Thankfully, the scouts flew by without noticing them in any manner, owing to the kind's better sense for plants and the nectar within than other bugs. Having made sure the Hivelings were far enough, the pack rose up and continued along the tunnel. Very shortly after, the female saw in the cave ceiling the pipe's entrance that she and Max had used to flee the city and would go through now. Right below it, however, stood a sentry, facing away from them.

"Stay back," the General once again whispered, coldly adding: "I'll take this one." He drew his shortnail from its pocket and began to silently near the soldierbug. While he did so, Hornet's attention was grabbed by Adrian, who'd started scratching at whence the changes spread on his midsection.

"This damn itch's not leaving me alone," he quietly hissed, to which both her and Max shushed him. "_I know_. But it's just getting worse and worse."

"At least it's still just an itch," the hornet muttered, peeking back the oblivious sentry's way.

The very next moment, Lembit attacked from behind with the blade, making short work of them. While it left the two bugs mostly unfazed, with Hornet merely impressed at how quick it had been, seeing the kill had a slight, but visible effect on the hyu-man.

"So, uh, that's that, then," he spoke up, as they reached the General, uneasily eyeing the slain guard. "Though couldn't you've just knocked 'em out?"

"No. As I explained, it's important that we kill them," the other male replied sternly, as he pulled the corpse over his shoulder, having discarded their blade.

"Fine, I guess. But what the hell are you doing with them now?"

"Minimizing evidence," Lembit deadpanned, before glancing upwards at the mouth of the pipe. "Now let's keep going. Even you should be able to climb this."

* * *

The pair of hunterbugs made it up there first, followed closely by the General, who heaved with him the dead sentry, setting them down on the damp floor. While he was indeed able to climb up as well, Adrian had a tad bit more trouble doing so, being ultimately helped into the pipe by Max and Lembit. He uttered a thanks, still rubbing at where his wound had been, and they were off down the metal tunnel. Only a little after they'd passed the hidden entrance to the noble's dwelling Hornet and her then-yet-mere friend had snuck into, however, the masked hyu-man suddenly stopped in place, clutching his midsection. He stooped over and began to cough violently, much to the others' alarm.

"What the heck! Why's this happening so early," Max exclaimed, as just like he once had in the palace dungeons, his uncle started retching pieces of the meat he'd eaten the morning. "It didn't with me!"

"Probably because the changes began spreading from closer to the stomach. Calm down," Lembit replied, supporting the ailed male and heftily patting his back. "That's it. Get it out of yourself. You'll feel better."

"T- thanks, Juss," Adrian wheezed, as his hacking let up. "Damn, I thought I was done with having to put up with this sorta hurt."

"Well, I've told you about how much it hurt for me. You went along with it knowing that," Max spoke with folded arms, the halfling catching a hint of bitterness in his tone.

It didn't go unnoticed by the changing hyu-man either. "Now, Max, you _know_ what the alternative would've been. We talked about this."

"Yeah, for like a few seconds before the General put that thing on and made you fall asleep," the hornet talked back. "I know it was the only way, but that doesn't mean I have like it any more, especially now that we'll be leaving you with Acrie."

"I'm not saying that you do," his relative countered, "just that you stop worrying about me so much, please. I'll be fine."

"I Can't! Not with what's-"

"_Shut_, both of you," thundered the General, hitting the pipe wall for a loud ring. He glared at the hornet. "Max, I _told_ you to calm down." He then turned to Adrian. "Adrian, I know he's a bit charged, but he's right to be concerned. The change _is_ serious and you're lucky I'll be there to keep the queen from going too far with you, so stop underplaying it. Now, you're still in walking condition, but I don't think you want to go through much more of that pain."

The masked hyu-man nodded hastily and he looked towards the halfling, who'd watched the entire argument unfold, unsure of whose side she should take. "Then we best hurry up. Hornet, would you care to lead the way?"

She gave a firm nod, simply glad it was over, and started in front of them with a proper pace.

* * *

The remaining journey through the waterways was otherwise largely eventless. Unlike yesterday's, however, this one they spent mostly in silence, with Max now acting particularly withdrawn. After a small while, Hornet lead the pack up from the lower tunnels and they soon made it to the main canals, which, like the ones below, still bore no traces of any guard detail. To reach them a tad quicker, she had opted, in spite of its _conditions_, to use the Dung Defender's den as a shortcut, discovering that he wasn't present for whatever reason.

As the four neared the tunnel leading out to the Fungal Wastes, Adrian went through another fit of pain that was fortunately shorter than the prior. Nevertheless, his new, black shell had begun spreading from under his tattered upper-garment, so, having helped him recover, they made haste into the pipe. Despite the countless times the warrior had felt it, the noxious scent still forced a tear from her eye, making her slightly envious of Lembit, who'd put on his mask, which no doubt spared him some of it. Upon reaching the mouth of the waterway, she gave the lead to Max, so he could guide them to his kind's nest.

Together, they began heading down the slope the pipe had lead onto, until they reached a cave Hornet recognized as one of the deepest in the Wastes. Passing by the statue of 'The Dashmaster', their pack walked to the back of the cavern, where Max showed them into a small tunnel she had never bothered to explore before, figuring it held nothing of interest. Oh how wrong she'd been.

_Her_ hornet still in front, they walked in a row through the narrow passage, the fungal stench thankfully getting weaker already. Finally, they came to the cave's end, at which there was only a bug-width gap in the rock, with light coming from its other end. Max stepped up to it and the warrior saw his face become irate.

"Yes, we are. I hope you're happy now," he spoke up to seeming nothingness, then, after a moment, rolled his eyes, saying: "No, _my queen_. I promise I- _we'll_ behave this time." He turned to look at Hornet and the hyu-mans, sighing. "Well, let's go in, then," he told them sullenly, before climbing into the gap.

The halfling followed him, ignoring the uncomfortable position the tight passage forced her mask into. Still, she was thankful when it soon ended and she was able to squeeze herself out the other side. She was greeted to a lit cave much like how Max had described it, being of mostly brown rock and without much in it other than the metal hornet-statue in its middle, above which she saw become visible the translucent figure of a caped, visibly female hornet. The ghost, who could've been none other than the tribe queen her malefriend had spoken so unkindly of, was glaring at them with a look of abashment and anger, one that grew even more intense once Hornet stepped aside to let the hyu-mans enter.

"You- fool of a youngling," she then exclaimed at Max, her voice unpleasantly sharp. "How dare you guide those _beings_ to this place, to your queen? I took it you had a little more sense than this one!" She pointed towards Adrian.

"Well, he did, so you'll just have to deal with it, Acrie," the male in question retorted. "Why are you even this mad? It isn't like they could really hurt _you_."

"Oh, Adrian, aside defiling this ancient place with his presence alone, bringing harm is the least that _half-god_ you think your friend could do to me," Acrie said, turning to the General, "so I ask that you punish me for our nature now and be done with it."

"You're right. The type of ghost you are, if I wanted to, I could hurt you, maybe even fade you entirely," Lembit sternly spoke back, his hand momentarily aglow, "though not from malice, but what you did to Adrian. And I'm not going to do that, because it's not what we're for, your queenship. We need your help."

At that, the dead royal turned to askingly glare at Max, who nodded, saying in a noticeably restrained tone: "We do, queen Acrie. Just hear us out, please."

"Very well, _youngling_," the female huffed. "I shall listen."

"Wonderful," the hyu-man uttered without much enthusiasm. "I believe we should start with properly introducing ourselves."

"We needn't waste time, _General_," the queen coolly declined. "I learnt all I've need for about you two from Max, just as he no doubt has told enough of me. Simply tell what it is you of all need my aid for."

"Alright, though I'm surprised you've not figured it out, considering it's what you wanted in the first place," Lembit replied, pointing at Adrian. "With how _different_ his body's going to end up, he'll need a safe environment to finish the change. Tell me where we can find one."

"Hm, I see you've chosen to accept your fated change, Adrian," the spectral female said, finally acknowledging the other hyu-man's condition. "Although it's regrettably not yet far along enough to let me have you speaking to your queen as is proper. Natheless, it is somewhat surprising you've come to me for this, rather than having him be _completed_ in our cousins' Hive, as was Maxwell." She paused, looking to the young male again. "They are lost to the Wyrm, are they not?"

"Indeed," Hornet affirmed in his stead, trying not to show her sullenness. "They became part of Hallownest in exchange for survival."

"I asked that not from you, _godling_," the queen replied irately, before sighing. "Still, it is saddening to hear, even if it was no less inevitable with _your father's_ return." The halfling's eyes widened with anger, as did Max's, though he surprisingly didn't say anything in her defence. She stayed silent as well, not wishing to waste time with arguing.

"That aside," Lembit spoke up. "I'd prefer if you told where we're to go with Adrian's change, of course unless you have a means to finish it here, queen Acrie."

"Quite so," the dead hornet replied, waving her hand towards a number of evenly set holes in the cave wall. "These used to once be sleeping places for our kind, but also chambers where eggs would hatch. One of them will suffice Adrian's change and allow for my proximity during it."

"Heh, you'll like that, won't you," the masked male chuckled dryly, "getting right into my head 'nd doing whatever you want with it."

"Indeed," Acrie responded. "Your mind shall be retooled into that of a proper hornet, one who'll perhaps even set an example for this one." Again she glared at Max.

"Hm, we'll see about that," the General uttered.

"Yeah," agreed Adrian, then started towards the holes, glancing back. "Come on. Let's, uh, just get it over with."

The other hyu-man followed, while the ghostly royal remained over the statue, now glaring with crossed arms at the two hunterbugs, neither of whom had also moved, seeing no reason to do so.

"So, Maxwell," the queen began, arrogance in her tone. "How went courting your dear halfling here? Is it true what you told yourself and me?"

"It is, _my queen_," the live hornet replied, still calm, though with some edge in his tone. "Hornet loves me like I do her."

His tribe ruler seemed genuinely taken aback by it. "Truly?"

"Yes, queen Acrie, I do," Hornet said, quite annoyed, although not enough to leave the male's warm glance unreturned. "I apologize if it disappoints you."

"You mustn't. It is of little matter," the ghost replied, regaining her cold demeanour, before sending a swift peek at Adrian. "At least some of our blood shall remain untainted." She paused, then looked at the halfling. "You should know, _Hornet_, I knew your mother when she was yet young and only just wedded to the Nest's king. She served to show a fine ruler may come from common bugs. Prior to my passing, even I advised her. However, I suppose loss of one's partner and age can dull even great minds to foolishness."

Inwardly seething by now, Hornet did her best to keep it hidden. "If you truly did know my mother, you would realize her desperation. And that her deed lead to the Infection's demise. And- and-" Out of things she could come up with without yelling, she desperately looked to Max, mouthing: "Help me." Unfortunately, Acrie took notice, also turning to him.

"Shall you, youngling? You've acted properly humble with me thus far. Even with these _feelings_ betwixt you, will you break your promise and speak against your queen once again?"

For a moment, the male seemed unsure what to do. Then, however, his eyes became stern and he nodded, crossing his own arms. "I will, my queen, but not so you'd get to suppress me again," he spoke firmly. "Still, I'm gonna tell you to _stop _badmouthing Hornet and her mother. I know you hate her for being a 'godling', but she's on our side and my female and you're going to have to keep it back. So _please_ stop, my queen." He stopped, glaring at her.

"That- was quite surprising of you, Maxwell," the ghostly ruler uttered, her eyes widened, before they narrowed again, "yet it still bordered admissibility. And I shall have you know that-"

"Queen Acrie, will you please stop insulting the kids and get over here already," Lembit suddenly called from beside the cave wall with the holes, where Hornet saw he was supporting Adrian, who was enduring yet another fit of pain from his changes. The dead queen merely huffed and headed for them, the young bugs coming behind her, Hornet managing a thankful smile at Max. They reached the hyu-mans as Adrian was regaining his bearings.

"That- that was awful," he said, breathing heavily. "Can we just get started, Acrie? Which one do I get into?"

"Firstly, Adrian, you shall unrobe from those pitiful rags," the ghost replied, waving at his torn garments, which for whatever reason caused the male to blush slightly and look around.

"I- uh, I'll-"

"Don't worry," Lembit spoke up, moving next to the young bugs. "I'll go send these two off while you get ready." The suddenly-flustered male gave a nod. "Good. Come on." The General motioned for the pair of hunters to follow, the Weaverling reluctantly stepping beside him. Max, however, didn't just yet.

"I guess this is goodbye then," he uttered sullenly.

"Oh, come on. Don't put it like that," his relative replied. "We'll only be apart a little while and when you come back, I'll be okay. And when it happens I'm not, you're gonna help me be, remember? Honestly, Max, with where you're going now, you should worry more for yourself. Take care, okay? Of her too."

"I will, uncle," the hornet insisted. "Go-, uh, see you." Adrian nodded, waving, which he mirrored, before an impatient glare from Acrie finally made him join Hornet at Juss' side.

Together, they made for a dark gap that the halfling had noticed some time ago, but had avoided giving any attention to. It was the passage to Deepnest, where her and Max's role in the General's scheme would play out, or at least attempt to do so. She truly doubted they'd find any tribalbug willing to join with a cause that she was part of. Even when she'd visited to mourn her mother's death, the Nest's Infected inhabitants had made clear their lingering disdain for her.

They came to the crevice, where Lembit kneeled down and faced the hunterbugs, looking about to say something. Unfortunately, this'd caught the ghostly female's attention.

"You are aware that is the entryway to Deepnest, General," she asked. "Of what foolishness are you headed there?"

"I'm sorry, queen Acrie, but that's sadly none of your business," the hyu-man replied, before turning back towards the living bugs. "Now, I'm sure you both are aware that we are at _war_. War does not come with a guarantee. Before you two go, I need you to know there is a good chance either of you will get hurt, maybe even worse. Still, this needs to be done, because we _need_ fighters with hatred for the king. I know you've them not in high regard, Hornet, but you'll have to make them listen, through the blade if needed."

The warrior gave her bravest nod. He was right. They had to try. She had to.

"Heh, that's the spirit," the General continued, turning to the hornet with a lower voice. "You know, Max, you didn't have to hold yourself back. I might've been able to keep her from suppressing you."

The younger male gained a disappointed look, to which he chuckled.

"Don't worry, I'll cuss her out for the both of us. You just make sure to look out for Hornet. And Hornet, you've got to look out for him too. Just look out for each other and things'll go well."

Hornet nodded again, as did her companion, before cramming himself into the gap. She followed right after him, though only after sending a sideways glare at Acrie. The queen truly deserved all of Max's scorn, alongside her own, of course.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

From the crack, the hornet shot a last look at the den, his uncle and _her_, before they were blocked from view by Hornet, making him turn towards the blackness ahead. It didn't take long until he squeezed himself out into the dark cave, his eyes quickly starting to adjust. A few moments later, the female joined him, warily glancing around and sensing the air.

"Now where- Oh, we're _here_," she said in an unhappy tone, before looking at the male. "Come, Max. We'd best move." Max nodded in agreement. He couldn't do it this close, since _she_ would've definitely heard it.

With Hornet leading the way, the pair began heading down the tunnel in the same direction he and Adrian had come from yesterday. However, after just a short while, the female stopped, making him do the same. Before he could ask her the reason, though, he realized they were far enough from the den now, far enough from 'his queen'.

His claws cramped up from anger. He'd managed to keep his cool and 'behave' in the cave, even impressing her with it, but only barely. A low growl came from his throat. She'd been just as insufferable as last time, insulting _his_ Hornet, this time with her right there, seemingly for nothing else to tick them both off. And not just her, but her mother too! Although Max's memories of his own mom had gotten a little hazy, he still couldn't've stood if someone abused her like that. He couldn't restrain himself any longer and he didn't have to.

"Rargh! You skank," the hornet snarled, going to attack the tunnel wall, his vision discolored. "You think you're so much better than her? At least she actually survived the king!" He didn't care if that insulted his own kind. He kept punching at the rock, before reaching for his nail. Suddenly, he stopped, remembering how much Hornet hated seeing him furious like this.

Calming down a bit, he apologetically looked to her and noticed she was facing away from him, gripping her mask and angrily hissing to herself something he couldn't catch. She must've pent it up as much as he had. The hornet put a hand on her shoulder, leaning to look into her livid eyes.

"She was bad, wasn't she?" Falling silent, the female nodded, a tear rolling down her eye.

"Horrid." They gazed at each other sullenly, before she turned to face him properly.

"Sorry for shouting. I should've let it out like you," Max apologized, glancing around. "Now everything in this cave probably knows we're here."

"It's alright, Max. I didn't pay it much mind anyway," his companion replied. "Besides, with the Infection gone, the beasts here are clever enough to fear an angered spider." She sighed harshly. "I fully understand now your reluctance at leaving Adrian for her to mold. At least you were able to say your goodbyes."

"That, uh, didn't really help, but thanks," the male uttered, also sighing. At least he _had_ gotten to do that, as well as promise he'd be okay and- His eyes widened in realization. "I- I forgot to say sorry, for yelling at him in that pipe."

In a rush of horror, he tried to start back the way they'd come, only to be stopped by Hornet.

"Max, you can't."

"I have to," he desperately spoke back, struggling against her hold. "He might remember it differently after this. I _have_ to apologize."

"You _can't_. We've a duty here, an important one," the female argued. "And aside that, he's likely gone into one of those chambers by now. There'd be no point to it. I'm sorry, Max, but you just shouldn't've become so upset with him"

The hornet stopped trying to wrestle free, calming down. She was right, it was his fault and he'd have to deal with it. Also, now that he thought about it, neither the queen nor the General would've let him hear the end of it if he ran back like this. They _did_ have a mission as well.

"Yeah, I- you're right," he admitted sullenly, before perking up a bit. "So, Hornet, you know the way around this place. Where would we find those warriorbugs?"

His female looked into the tunnel ahead. "If I were to guess, most of the tribalfolk that's survived the sentries has gone to or near the Distant Village," she hung her head, sighing, "my birthplace. We shall start there. This _won't _be easy, Max." Her tone turned stern. "This little break of ours is over. The beasts here at the Nest's border are measly compared to those at its core, so from now, you'll have to be at your most attentive."

Max gave a confident nod and they continued making their way through the tunnel. No longer in such a rush like during yesterday's escape, he could now properly focus on his surroundings (Hornet had told him to anyway), taking in the dimly plan-lit cave. The disembodied noises of beasts that'd unnerved him and his uncle were still there, but sounded less frequently, probably due to his female's presence.

* * *

Pretty soon, they went off the path he remembered, keeping straight instead of going downwards. Max didn't care, trusting that she knew the best way to that village. They walked in silence for a good while, with the gloomy cave around them seeing little change, except a branching tunnel every now and then, one of which they headed into to a fairly similar picture at first. Not before long, though, the hornet noticed it was leading them deeper.

Then, the tunnel started to gradually widen, until it lead into what he could call an actual cavern. Squinting around, Max noticed that the walls and ceiling had on them a bunch more of the large spiderwebs he'd only caught in a few corners before. As he followed Hornet through the cave, they came to set of pits that, much to his unhappy surprise, were crawling with the spiky worms from under the City of Tears. This time, neither of them had trouble jumping over and they continued into the passage ahead.

The next tunnel was covered in even more webs, the white strands blocking out any glow from plants, which made it a bit harder for the male to see. Not only that, the sounds of creatures in the darkness around were growing closer and more persistent again. Becoming worried, he got Hornet's attention.

The warrior returned his uneasy look, whispering: "We're now in the Nest's territory. Be cautious."

The hunters kept along the web-covered cave, which also started to show other traces of construction, like the odd pillar holding it up or a small statue. Soon, they reached a three-way crossroad of tunnels with a signpost, where the warrior stopped again, taking a deep breath. They shared another look, Max trying to look as confident as he could for her, which was no longer easy.

Suddenly, he caught hint of a bunch of faint, but alerting scents. He was about to tell Hornet, before seeing her eyes go wide.

"_Watch out_!" She pulled him down with her, as he glimpsed something fly over their heads. A moment later, they both stood back up and she brandished her needle. Max pulled out his own blade, immediately blocking with it a pair of long claws swiping at him from the darkness. As he reeled back from it, the attacker stepped into view, revealing themselves to be a very tall, slender bug. Warding off another blow, he glanced around to see Hornet facing two more, different creatures from the other tunnels, one short with a round head and the other green and weirdly fuzzy. They were surrounded!

Another slash from _his_ assailant brought his attention back to them, as he parried, but couldn't manage to land a counterstrike, the tall warrior dodging it, then forced him back again, so that he felt Hornet right behind him.

"We're trapped," he exclaimed, trying to hold back his fear. "What do we do?"

"These are tribal warriors. They're who we were looking for," the warrior replied between strikes, before loudly saying: "Please, we mean no harm! Cease your fighting and listen!"

"We shan't submit to the Wyrm," hissed one of the bugs on her end. "As his messengers, you'll perish."

Max wanted to shout they weren't on the king's side, but had to defend against more of the tall warrior's swipes. Hornet too was too occupied to say anything else, parrying strikes from the green thing. All this time, their backs were pressed together and it was starting to wear the male down. He tried to switch sides with her a time, but the constant attacks made it too hard.

They really should've practiced that at Oro's.

"Above! Deephunter," the female suddenly yelled. Looking, he saw a many-legged _thing_ on the cave ceiling, which then spat an orange glob, not unlike an aspid's, at them. Fortunately, they dispersed fast enough to avoid it.

Unfortunately, Max's dodge left him unready beside the thin bug, who struck painfully at his midsection, knocking him back and making him lose grasp on his nail. The hornet got no time to recover, as the next moment, the round-headed one, who he saw also had a lot of legs, pounced onto him, slamming him into the ground.

"_Max!_"

Thinking it was the end, the male watched the spider ready the killing blow, before abruptly stopping, each of their six eyes going wide.

"What?"

"_Away from him_," he heard his companion screech, before a yellow flash suddenly struck and pinned his attacker to the cave wall by her red cloak, which he noticed was similar to Hornet's. Looking aside, he saw as she, now weaponless, punched at the other warriors, then rush over to him.

"Oh, Max." She yanked him to his feet and into a short, but tight hug. They both quickly went to grabtheir blades, his from the ground and hers from the incapacitated spider, before turning to fight back against the other two. As they were about to clash, however, a cough from behind caught their attention.

"Halt, my allies," the round-head spoke up in an accent similar to Hornet's, shakily standing up. "Do not fight them." The other two stopped, looking confused, as she (Max could finally feel it) pointed one of her legs at him. "I do not know how you're here, hornet, but you cannot be a servant to the Wyrm."

"He isn't, little Weaver, and neither am I," said Hornet angrily. "Do you truly think _so_ poorly of me, your nestmate?"

"You are our Beast's child, yes," the 'little weaver' replied, "but also the pale one's, whose domain's memory you defended for so long, as well as slayed our kinds."

"I- Well- You," the warrior stuttered, huffing. "_Most_ your kinds were Infected. I had it in my mind I was doing them a service, for I was partly spellbound myself." She sighed. "And I am working to right my actions. Max and I are fighting against the king, yet we need more help. I take it you surviving tribalbugs reside in Distant Village."

"Indeed. And I take you wish to ask for our aid."

"Yeah, can we come there," Max asked, hopeful.

The spider paused for a few moments, a leg under its mask, then nodded. "You may," she said, before letting out a chuckle. "Ashi! Skoshi!"

Suddenly, the hornet's nail was snatched by the 'deephunter' from before and his companion's was knocked from her hands by another, smaller one. The other warriors moved to grab them.

"It'll merely on _our_ terms. Bind their claws!"

* * *

**Here we are, another chapter. A whole lot happened in this one, including action.**

**I hope the drama in the middle didn't feel too forced. I tend to stretch things out when I'm not inspired at a certain moment.**

**Longer time readers my have caught on by now, but if you haven't, my upload schedule is on my profile page. It's pretty simple.**

**Not a lot to say this time. We passed 200K words a few chapters ago so that's cool. R&R and stay safe. I'll go play some Terraria.**


	32. Chapter 28: Show of Force

Chapter 28: Show of Force

* * *

**JUSS**

* * *

Having finished his pep-talk, the man watched the two youngsters disappeared through the dark gap, before sighing and turning away. It was a lot of weight he'd put on their shoulders, but not something they'd be fully incapable of. He just hoped he had made it clear to them how important their mission, considering its success would determine how hard sieging the city and later the palace would be. Like he'd told, it could've also left their numbers with one less.

He shook his head clear of the thought and stepped back towards Adrian, now bare as a carrot with both hands firmly over a certain spot, and the 'lovely' ghost queen, who was glaring at him, arms still crossed.

"And why are you still here," she asked with angry confusion.

"To suffer you, your queenship." The General stopped next to them, hands behind his back, eyeing the soon-no-longer-human's chest, which was covered up to the neck in large blotches of charred, rough skin. "Hm, look at _you_. We've to get started." The other man gave a nod, as the cheeks of his mask turned pinkish again, making Lembit roll his eyes. He went to sauna every 'normal' weekend.

They looked towards the holes in the wall.

"So, do I choose which one or," Adrian asked, glancing at the ghost.

"No. A hornet is to obey their queen," the dead bug sternly retorted, pointing at one in the row closest to the ground, "and I say you're to take that one."

"Alright, _ma'am_," the changing man agreed with a shrug, then turned back to the soldier. "I guess this is it, then."

"Didn't you just tell Max not to think that way," he reminded in reply, before quietly adding: "Relax. I'll make sure you turn out fine." He then looked on, as his friend crouched down, before crawling feet-first into the ancient hole. A part of him doubted whatever magic it had even worked anymore.

"Whoa, this thing's deep," he heard the other man's voice say after his head had gone inside. "Real smooth too. What is it?"

"Our kind's wax," spoke Acrie. "While we could create far less of it than our cousins their Hiveblood, it mends, strengthens and lasts all the same." She waved her transparent hand over the hole, from which Lembit felt a pulse of strange energy. "As well as answers to the colony queen. Be not alarmed, Adrian. It shall cover your entirety."

Peeking down into the hole, the General saw, as its dark yellow walls and ceiling began to _melt_ onto the masked man, soon, indeed, covering him entirely. Before any of it could flow out, however, the spectre waved again, causing the goo at the mouth of the hole to solidify again and sealing Adrian in. That done, she turned to glare at the remaining human.

"You've seen that he shall change safely, General. I must now ask that you cease tainting this place and follow your young _disciples_ to a swift end by Deepnest's warriors."

"Unfortunately, your queenship, I can't do that just yet," Lembit spoke back, ever so subtly pulling off his glove and starting to direct his magic into the wax-filled 'pod', doing his best to make sure she wouldn't notice. It was time to do his part and fulfill the promise he'd just made. "For one, it's their task in there and, as I said, I'm here for _you_."

"Whyever is that? Assuredly I offer you as much displeasure as you me," the queen replied with resentment in her tone, as the human caught her energy emanating towards the hole as well. "But very well, _halfling_. After all, just as the higher beings you hail from, I imagine you cannot do without constant, meaningless conflict."

Lembit's eyes widened slightly. That wasn't bad. May've even been true, but he wasn't going to full-on admit that. "Perhaps," he said coolly, "even though that's a bit strange coming from a queen of a warrior tribe. At least I fight my battles for change and unity, unlike you, who I can guess just scuffled endlessly with everyone around you for ultimately futile reasons."

"Curb your speech! Our ferocious way of life brought us glory and freedom from any stranger rule, which required us no lasting alliance," the ghostly bug told sharply, "not to mention it was far superior to the world envisioned by the Wyrm and no doubt your greaters. Where disparate tribes' differences are eroded and supplanted by adherence to a single, ever growing rule. From what can you tell apart the different beetles of Hallownest other than their form?"

The human rolled his eyes. She really thought he was like some fanatic for order. "Okay, firstly, I've been in these caves for four days," he started, simultaneously strengthening the defenses in Adrian's mind. It was going well so far. "I'm also not for assimilation. I care for different cultures, especially my own peoples'."

"Bah, and what more is there to it than conquest, subjugation and belief your 'divinity' raises you above other kinds?"

Lembit scoffed. She really had no idea, did she? "I meant my _human_ culture, tribe queen," he replied icily. "And that was the third time our argument you've gone after the fact I'm a hybrid. Seriously, if you're going to insult me, at least try to do it on a personal level."

"Although it'd perhaps bring me some enjoyment, we've only known one another for a brief time," the ghost pointed out, prompting a smirk from the man. That's right, she couldn't. "That aside, there is a great deal about your blood's worse half that I have yet to asperse, mayhap even to your actual dismay." Her masks eyes narrowed. "Like this feeble attempt of yours to shroud your 'protection' of my subject's mind."

All of a sudden, her power's flow towards Adrian intensified, catching the General off guard. He quickly made to counter it with his own magic, pointing an already glowing hand towards the pod for a better link to. He was honestly impressed at her, though angry as well. She hadn't been supposed to find out this fast and that she did wasn't good. Still, he could work with this.

"Not bad, queen Acrie," he complimented. "Your skill reflects your age. However, I don't think either of us wants this to get any more unpleasant. Please, let's just work out what part of him you get to mold and what stays the same."

"I shall _not_ bargain with the likes of you," the hornet replied, her voice raised. "Besides, the sole reason you remained here was to challenge me. Now you shall show how much your magic is truly capable of."

Okay, sweet words hadn't worked. He was going to have to strongarm this, which her kind's ability was already making a lot harder. At least he didn't have to fully barricade the changing man's mind. Just some parts, most importantly the memories. Even that wouldn't be easy, though and was likely going to take a fair bit out of him.

"Returning to our exchange," Acrie continued, a bit of strain in her own tone. "If you really wish I tried insulting you personally, I can easily do so, considering how facile you must've had it your entire life, as I imagine all godborn have and will."

"Being half-god doesn't mean one's life'll be simple, you know. Hornet is living proof of that," the human spoke back. This actually was getting a bit out of his comfort zone, especially with half his focus on the magic struggle, but he'd handle it.

"She's an exception born from the circumstance of that Infection," argued the ghost, "that and she was brought up proper and away from the Wyrm, in her own tribe. Unlike you, who I know was raised at the pinnacle of that world of excess on the surface I glimpsed from Maxwell."

The man groaned. "That world's changed quite a lot since my youth," he said, while the flow of magic made drops of sweat form on his forehead. "And though I may've been born _close_ to the top, I didn't _grow up_ at it."

"I care not for any disgrace you might've suffered at some time, General," she retorted. "It yet undoubtedly stands that you were brought up into and given your repute for _what_, not who you are, that favor from your gods has meant you little hardship," she paused, her mask holes widening aggressively, "that you've not lost any more of what you truly care for than what's been _necessary_."

Lembit felt as if a jolt had gone through him, as his own eyes went wide, before angrily narrowing. He'd been able to stomach her other uninformed jabs, but this was where he drew the line.

"You do not get to tell me about loss, bug," he said, dead stern.

"You insolent-," the queen snapped in reply. "Have you forgotten where you stand, what happened to my kind here? I should tell that to _you_, godling."

"No, you won't, Acrie. You were already dead when they were wiped out. _They_ lost _you_," Juss furiously spoke back, raising his voice, before pointing at her with his glowing hand. "You _do not _get to tell me about loss. You don't have _any_ idea how much I have lost! How many I've watched die! For that matter, you don't get a say in how I came to be where I am." _Nearly_ yelling now, the brightness of his symbols intensified, as his anger increased the magic flow to them. "I've had to crawl through mud, blood, Hell itself to survive and _no one_ was there for me. My rank is my own doing, none other's! You couldn't imagine what I've been through!"

With that, he allowed the built up magic to release, making it burst out his hand as flashes of gold, which then formed into a number floating images, ones the man instantly recognized and remembered, though not too fondly: him, young and in that old uniform, fleeing through a snowy forest, him with his yet unmodified rifle crouched in a burning building, the attempt on his life at the Giant, his sword's reforging and finally, him, bloodied and disheveled, kneeling over _his_ body, which was still impaled by the blade. A couple moments later, the memories faded, the latter going last.

"Have I made myself clear," he asked, glaring back at the ghost, a small tear in his eye. "Those were just glimpses, you know."

"That, I can imagine," Acrie replied coolly. "I supposed you had gone through such things and am quite pleased to be proven right. You've _some_ respect from me, Juss."

"Wait, wha-," Lembit began, confused. "Then why'd you-" All of a sudden, he realized that by showing those memories during his rant, he had cut off the flow of protection to Adrian. In a moment of panic, he tried 'reconnecting' to him, only to be completely blocked by the queen's natural resistance to his magic. He tried again, but to the same effect. He couldn't get back in, at least not without _revealing_ himself to the king and even then it would've been genuinely straining. He looked angrily at the ghost, who replied with what had to be a smirk. She'd played him, made him angry and in what a way no less.

"You- You got lucky here," he could only accuse. "The only reason I got mad was because what you said _happened_ to not be true!"

"I'd not say so. Were you truly as cosseted as I acted, you'd have taken offense at how well I saw through you," the ghostly ruler replied smugly, which the man sadly had to internally admit was true. "Truthfully, I do not understand why you even attempted to 'defend' my hornet's mind like so. His change shall take an entire day at the least. Surely you couldn't remain here for so long."

"It wasn't about actively defending him," the human explained sullenly. "It was about raising barricades in there that you wouldn't break through before he woke up again."

"I see," uttered his opponent, nodding slightly. "Quite well conceived, though I have brought down the beginnings of these _shields_ already. And while you've truly a tad of respect from me, I simply cannot leave his memories untouched." The man's brow furrowed. He'd worked on protecting those the most. "If Adrian is to be the first true hornet warrior of this age, he must remember only loyalty to his tribe. He shall lead and set an example to those that'll follow, such as Maxwell when he comes of _proper_ age, perhaps even that brother of his."

So, she was looking through them already.

Lembit sighed, considering his options. There was no chance he could get back inside the changing man's head normally, but he had made a promise that he planned to keep. And he also had a trump card left, one he truly hadn't though he'd need to use this trip (though the past few days had been full of shattered expectations). Still, he wasn't going to let _anyone_ get the better of him.

"Hm, I can see why the tribe called you Schemer, queen Acrie," he began calmly. "'Unfortunately', I can't let you have this one." He held out his right palm, which lit up with yellow again, as into it, first as an outline, then solidly, appeared an engraved golden sphere with six blue symbols on its sides. Almost immediately, the human felt the air around him go thick with energy, which didn't go unnoticed by Acrie either, her eyes widening.

"Such power," she uttered warily, before demanding: "What is that artefact, General?"

"Something so powerful that I need to actively _conceal _it right now," the man replied, indeed having to do so. "Unless, of course, I choose to use it, since you turned out to be so _uncooperative_." He threateningly pointed the object towards the occupied pod. This had the desired effect.

"Surely you'd not be so foolish," the ghost spoke back, fear in her voice. "That strong a force could damage Adrian's mind, not to mention it'd reveal us all to the Wyrm, inform him that _you_ yet live."

"I assure you, queen Acrie, I am precise enough that he'll be completely unharmed," the General insisted confidently, darkly adding: "As for the king, he will feel _its_ power, not mine. Really, you are the only one that should be worried about being found, considering you're bound to this place. By the time _his_ troops or _he_ himself arrived, I'll have severed your link with Adrian, pulled him out of there and fucked off. Meanwhile, you likely won't make it beyond tomorrow, nor see your dear new hornet. I _will_ make that happen Acrie," for emphasis, he released a soft pulse of magic from the sphere, "unless, of course-"

He stared at her, waiting for the answer. There was a small chance she wouldn't budge and he'd actually have to go through all that (which he _was_ ready for), though he hoped otherwise.

"Very well, General," the ghost fortunately sighed with a sullen, still fearful tone. "I shall bargain. What do you wish I leave be about him?"

"His memories," Lembit spoke seriously, pointing at her with the gold sphere, which he didn't want to unsummon yet. "I don't know how much you've done already, but stop it. You can still make him loyal to yourself and your tribe without having to alter them." He sighed. "And you can make him view _me_ however you wish him to; have him fear me, hate me, I won't care. In exchange, though, he'll see Hornet the same way. I understand your hate for her, but she doesn't deserve any more. I also _ask_ that you don't make him too strict towards Max, alright." He resisted adding 'that's my job'.

"Alas I cannot. Maxwell needs yet greater discipline and Adrian shall teach him it," the spectre replied. "With the rest of your demands, however, I am willing to comply. Have you any others?"

"Yes. You will let me reraise my barricade on the memories," the man said, which the queen looked like she wanted to protest, making him hold up his sphere as a reminder of who was in charge. "Just in case." Eyes narrowed, the female nodded, encouraging him to let the gold ball finally disappear, hopefully for some time, as he didn't like using it.

She then realigned her power in Adrian's mind so that his got in again, starting work on the mental shield.

"I must say, Juss, that your raw manner of handling that was quite impressive," the queen unexpectedly spoke up. "I am glad we remained allies, at least for now, regarding _what_ we are."

"Obliged," the human thanked. "Though, I don't know if you guessed it as well, but I do not adhere to any higher being, despite their ancestry to me. I stand with my own species, against them if they threaten it, which they _have_."

"That is- pleasant to hear," the ghost uttered, the littlest bit of warmth in her voice, before falling silent, as they worked their magics for a short while. Then, though, she said: "In our argument prior, I'd another thing I aimed to touch upon that I still wish to know. What is your true goal in guiding young Maxwell and his- _female_? Surely it isn't solely to aid them in this struggle."

Lembit let out a sigh. He figured he could admit it to a fellow plotter. "You're right. Though I for one find their bond lovely, though it's not the only reason they need to live. With the Lady dead and the way you bugs function, once we've dealt with the king, Hornet'll have to take his place and considering her age, she'll be delightfully open to advice _and_ influence. With her innate magic and his natural ability, I'm also interested in the hatchlings they'll end up having," he explained. "Why'd you ask? I didn't think you cared too much for either of them."

"Nay. Maxwell's merely too young to act anything other than stern with until he's truly proved himself and the Wyrmchild I simply cannot have respect for, nor no longer her mother," Acrie spoke. "Although, the same likely cannot be said for the beasts of the Nest. You are aware how dangerous whatever is their task in there shall be, are you not?"

"I am," the man affirmed, glancing towards the dark crack. "It was just necessary."

Still, he hoped they were pulling through.

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

The way Max's hands were bound, he couldn't move a single claw. That and the separation from his nail, which was being carried by the small beast who'd snatched it, didn't make him too confident, even with the (kind of) reassuring glances from Hornet, as they were led deeper into Deepnest by the pack of tribalbugs, three more of whom had joined in, having waited at the side and making it pretty clear even if the two hunters had defeated the ones that'd ambushed, they still probably wouldn't've stood a chance.

There was another 'little Weaver', one that also had eight legs, but was _much_ bigger with a wide mask and the last that looked strikingly similar to the tall warrior, though a heck of a lot bulkier. At his question, Hornet whispered to him they were both mantises, before being ordered to shut by one.

They kept through the tunnels, which the Hornet could now see even less of due to their numerous 'escorts'. Even then, he was able to notice them gradually having more and more real construction alongside the spiderwebs. Soon, they came to a larger cavern, where he also caught sight of what appeared to be big balls made of web, from a few of which he glimpsed pairs of eyes looking back. They quickly reached the cave's far end, stopping, as Hornet told him to climb up, before doing so with the other warriors, her hands still bound. Just another reason to call her amazing. Still, the male had a bit of trouble following, though thankfully he wasn't the only one, since while they were intimidating, the large bug wasn't that agile.

Having finally made it up, he was again grabbed by the thinner mantis, as the group kept moving, shortly after passing into a genuine, built up corridor, its walls lined with pillars and the odd statue of a spider. It didn't last very long, though, and they soon stepped out onto a brick ledge that overlooked an impossibly tall cave, seemingly even more so than the chasm at the Kingdom's Edge. The hornet's attention was then caught by the enormous spheres of web hanging all the way from its ceiling, the largest of which he saw had an opening with light coming from inside, making him somehow only now understand what he'd seen earlier. Of course they were houses.

Glancing over to Hornet, he noticed her gaze was locked on the largest one, before their captors made them get a move on, ushering them over a series of wooden platforms also held up by webs that lead to the big structure. Having reached it, the big spider decided to stay outside, while the two prisoners were pushed through the ornate doorway, through an entrance corridor and into a spacious, lamp-lit chamber with nothing, but a table at the far end. They were 'greeted' by the numerous stares of many different bugs, all of whom looked to be bunched into small groups based on species, which kept their distance from one another.

* * *

Hornet and Max were forced past them, the male catching from them whispers, but also hissing and low growls. He watched, as the rest of the pack that'd captured them dispersed, the two mantises moving to join their respective lookalikes, who, despite being of the same kind, were grouped on the opposite sides of the room, while the fuzzy green one stepped over to a bunch of masked piles of leaves, before collapsing into one themselves and leaving the young bugs with the little Weavers and the small beasts who carried their weapons.

The small spiders brought the two to the table, which one then knocked on with a leg. Max then heard the clacking of legs from a dark hole in the web wall ahead, before a spider-like, yet weirdly long creature with an eerily smiling mask appeared from it, looking down on them. Completely out of confidence by now, he looked worriedly towards Hornet, who, however, just glared at the newcomer, her bound hands seeming to twitch slightly.

"Midwife," she greeted, not sounding very happy.

"Gendered child, you have returned to the Nest," the strange female replied in a surprisingly soothing voice, glancing over to Max, "and alongside quite an _interesting_ companion, no less. I do hope either you weren't given too much hassle by our hunting pack."

"As a matter of fact, we were," replied the halfling. "Their attack could've cost either of our sides had it gone on."

"Ahh, that is a shame," sighed Midwife at the little Weavers, causing them to shy away a bit, "although understandable, given these circumstances we're in." She looked back to Hornet. "Speaking of which, how is it you've fared since your last _visit_ to these halls? Quite a great deal has changed, though I believe you're aware of that, if not one of those that had a part in it."

"Among them I am indeed," the warrior affirmed, prompting several murmurs from the bugs around. "I aided the vessel of Hallownest in vanquishing the Infection that'd plagued these lands. They- they perished in the battle, I survived." The words from the other warriors started becoming accusatory. "I'd no knowledge our victory would bring about the return of the Pale King. So let me make clear that I _do not_ stand with him."

"Yet still you are his daughter," the little Weaver beside the one who'd ambushed them growled, "that's reason enough for punishment!" He raised a leg and swung it down at her.

"Brother, _no_," the other yelled together with Max's less coherent fearful yelp for his companion, who, in turn, suddenly pulled her hands free of their silk cuffs, bringing one up and catching the spider's claw, which she proceeded to (undoubtedly painfully) twist, staring shortnails at its owner.

"I am _not_ his daughter, you grub," she hissed to him, before glancing at his sister. "It wasn't a horrible knot, but you've room to improve. Look after this one as well." She pushed the male back towards her.

"My, my, child. It seems the long years haven't taken from your feistiness," Midwife spoke, amusement in her tone. She looked at the small Weavers. "And you appear adamant in earning my ire today. You're _fortunate_ we're so little in number." She faced Hornet again. "Although he did speak truth. Within you flows the pale one's blood alongside our departed beast's, which, while of a fair, needed trade, could've left you easily swayed and suggested, perhaps even of what to tell _us_."

Max saw his companion's eyes widen, his own mask showing fear, as more suspicious murmurs and sounds were heard from the tribalbugs. The strange-bodied bug thought that they were with-

"That is, if this one were not with you," she then went on, leaning towards him over the table. "Oh, ancestors. I recall seeing one of your kind last when I was a mere youngling training for servitude to the Nest and its new mistress. Pity what was done to them, they were such fierce warriors. And while you've thus far showed not mannerisms like theirs, that, for now, we can overlook in light of my curiosity. So do tell, young hornet, what is your name and how has occurred your _convenient_ return to these caverns?"

The change in attitude along with the unexpected question took the hornet aback for a moment, before he decided to get his act together, saying as firmly as he could: "My name is Max, uh, Midwife and I come from the surface. I'm here because I was displaced by the Pale King, like I know a lot of you've been." He glanced around at the listening warriors. "Actually, I haven't even been a hornet for that long."

"Mm, interesting," uttered the spider-creature. "And how exactly is it the pale one has caused your coming here?"

"He has sent his forces to the surface with aim to expand his rule beyond the wastelands," Hornet spoke up. "Max's village was the first one to be conquered."

"Child, have I not schooled you not to interrupt," scolded Midwife, a touch of sternness in her tone. "Although it is an adequate answer. Now, _Max_, what was this of you having _not_ been a hornet for long?"

"It's true, literally. The surface isn't inhabited by bugs like us, but creatures called humans. I used to be one too," the male said, beginning his recount. He once more went over being captured and brought down to Hallownest, his mask, meeting Hornet and escaping to the Hive with her, the female backing him up. He also told about finding and reawakening Acrie and in short of what she'd revealed to him and his uncle regarding their ancestors.

"Ahh, I understand now how that old queen warranted her title. And what a remarkable scheme of contingency it w," the long-bodied spider gushed once he'd finished, "albeit not the most precise as to who ends up with the blessing." Her tone grew harsher. "A commoner like you, for example, one not even raised a warrior."

The jab was another thing Max didn't expect and he took it to heart. "Hey, I _am_ a warrior, a proper one too," he protested, nudging towards his snatched blade, while ignoring the chatter in the background that was part of the norm by now, "at least now."

"Indeed, he is, Midwife," Hornet irately added in his defense, her arms crossed. "I have trained and improved greatly Max's ability in hunting and battle."

"Hah, truly," smugly asked the male little Weaver, stepping closer again to both his sister's visible annoyance. "How many have you slain, then, 'hornet warrior'?"

"Since I became a Hornet, uh, three," Max replied, which was true, though two of those had been beasts. Fed up with the spider's attitude as well, he growled on a whim: "You wanna see if I can add you and make it a four?"

Immediately, he regretted it, as the tribalbug's round mask filled with anger. "You- I'll add you to _my_ count," he hissed, going to lash at the still-bound hornet.

"Halt, Weaverchild, and retreat," Midwife called, sounding genuinely angry for the first time, which fortunately caused the spider to stop, as well as Hornet, who looked ready to strike at him. At that, the older female's tone mellowed again. "You must know it's been long since my last meal, long enough even, to not care for our little numbers," she threatened, then turned to Max. "And you've at least a little fight in you, young hornet, although it is of impulse. Now," she glanced back to the halfling, "that introductions are behind us, what is it that you have actually come to our Nest for, child?"

Hornet took a deeper breath. "We have been tasked to come to ask it and any from the other tribes for aid in our fight against the Pale King," she began, glancing around the chamber. "His actions against the hyu-mans have brought here a great warrior and warlord of theirs, who is prepared to lead you against him. Shall you accept?"

At first, she was met with silence and for a few seconds, Max thought the other warriors were going to burst into mocking laughter.

"No," the elder spider instead tensely replied, "we shan't. You may have our permission to remain here, child, but the Nest, nor our charges will follow you or any other outsider, especially one not even a bug that wishes to send the few of us that yet live to death at the claws of the Wyrm."

"Hm," the warrior hummed, sounding more disappointed than sad, looking over the tribalbugs again, "so this is truly all that is left of you?"

"It is so, yes," came from the mantises, as three females taller than their kinmates stood up, one of them going on: "The rest of our warriors were massacred by sentries and bugs of metal, our youths all captured to be twisted by the Pale King." This was followed by the other, stockier mantises, who growled something to the same effect, then by nods from the bush-bugs.

"The Nest too is lesser in number, although not so drastically and mainly due to the pestilence and elder Weavers' departure," Midwife then spoke sternly. "Natheless, not even we will follow you, child. And I must ask why we should, seeing as the Hive seems for you already." She pointed to her yellow needle, prompting angry looks from the smaller spiders. "You've certainly begun wearing your loyalty to them proudly, aside, of course, your chosen name."

"For your knowledge, my last needle was destroyed by _him_ personally," Hornet retorted. "And while they were our allies, the Hive was- was _made_ to betray us on his behalf." This seemed to take the tribesbugs aback, making her go on: "So I insist that you aid our fight. The sentry force is yet less than a hundred weak, but not before long their numbers could rise greatly. We've to vanquish the Pale King before that."

Midwife put a leg under her smiling mask, seeming to actually consider it.

"But why should we care about it. It's in the interest of you and those hyu-mans of your, but not us. We've back our minds and can stand our ground, no matter how many measly beetles he has," the female little Weaver spoke up. "And even if they made it _here_, we could simply retreat further into shadow where they can't follow."

The halfling's eyes widened, as she seemed to not have an answer, to which the hornet decided to help out. "Well, if we fail to win the way the General wants it, he can use a weapon that'll just wipe out the king and all of Hallownest with it, including _you_." Audible shock filled the big room.

The spider also looked scared for a moment, before it turned into anger. "Y- you lie!"

"He does not," Hornet sternly confirmed. "It is true, this weapon shall reach the furthest ends of Deepnest."

"We'll just leave here through the cliffs, then!"

"Sister, we can't! It's our home," her brother argued. "Come on. We're not like our elders who'd leave for some ancient homeland of ours at the first sign of hardship. We're of the Nest."

"But-"

"I beg your silence, Weaverchildren," said Midwife, before facing Hornet and Max. "With what you've told me, including of this _weapon_ just now, I believe it perhaps would be better for the time being if we helped you in this fight. Even so, we cannot be sure of its aftermath, for the 'defeat' of the pale one shall leave a vacancy of power to be filled by someone new, under whom we may do as miserably as _him_. While I've accepted that some of that power will unavoidably go to you, child, I've less trust for this hyu-man. Do you think him honorable, fit to rule?"

"I do, Midwife," Hornet replied, deadpan, with Max nodding along.

"Would you be willing to defend that claim?"

"Yes."

"Would you be willing to perish in doing so?"

"He's nearly been killed in aiding me. Aye."

"Oh, I see," the long spider chuckled, "but we've to prove that." She turned to the rest of the room. "My _dear_ fellow free bugs, I propose we send our fighters against these two in a trial of strength and see if they've the ability to back up their words. What say you? Mantis lords?"

"A marvelous idea. We accept," one of the taller mantises called.

"Yes, let show how strong they really are," rumbled their counterparts from the other side of the room. The leaf-bugs followed, rustling (somehow) in agreement.

It felt as to Max, as if he was the only one not okay with this. "Wait, you can't be serious," he tried, glancing to his companion for help, but only getting a stern glare.

"Heh, what's the matter, _hornet_? Scared," asked the male spider, kept from approaching again by his sister. This inspired the hornet to suck it up and try embracing his innate warrior instincts.

"Know what? _No_," he shot back, "'cause now I'll get to make due on my promise, _maybe_." Ignoring what else the other bug did, he looked back to Midwife, who let out another chuckle.

"_Good_, you're_ both_ willing and ready," she spoke. "Ah, regardless of its outcome, what a spectacle this'll be, in these trying times especially. Though one this chamber must be prepared for, for which you must wait in the passages above. Child, release your companion's hands already."

* * *

After she'd done just that and the two had taken their blades back from the little beasts, they headed to one of the big room's walls, which Hornet told the male to climb. Following her up it, he found himself in a dingy web tunnel. There was scuttling heard, though far less than in the caves outside. Right as he was about to ask his friend where to next, the familiar, creepily smiling mask appeared from the dark, spooking him a fair bit. His female was less fazed.

"What is it, Midwife," she asked.

"Oh, I merely wished to remind the preparations shan't take too big a while, so you shouldn't wander far."

"We weren't aiming to," replied the halfling, adding after a short pause. "Though now that you're here, I couldn't ask before, how have you dealt with the village's stag station?"

"Ah, that. The devouts forced its collapse after first word of the sentries' activity reached us," Midwife replied. "Now excuse me, for it's truly been long since my last meal, too much so for ones like you to safely be in my presence." With that, she disappeared again, leaving Max to wonder what that'd been about. Did she really _eat_-

"We've to get going, Max. Follow me," Hornet said to him, cutting the thought short, as they continued somewhere further up in the huge web ball.

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

Even if it hadn't sat at the very top of the Beast's Den she could've found it blindfolded. She had snuck there so many a time as a youngling while none one had been watching. After her leaving from Deepnest, though, she had gone many years with its memory alone, only returning when her 'sibling' had come to perform their morbid duty here. Now, she stood at the chamber's entrance once again, with Max climbing up behind her. A part of her was reluctant to bother her malefriend with her past and another knew they should've been doing some preparing for the trials they were to shortly face, but she simply couldn't resist coming.

The halfling took a cautious glance around the room to ensure they were alone. While she was willing to show her feelings to Max, she certainly didn't feel the same way regarding thespiders. Thankfully, there weren't any present, letting her approach the candle-lit empty stone platform, which, as she'd expected, had been turned into shrine, with small ornaments set onto and before it, for while the Nest didn't think greatly of and sentiment, they knew how to honor their dead.

"What is that thing," Max asked, "some sort of memorial?"

"Yes," Hornet sullenly replied, standing in front of it, "my mother's. It was where she died." She hung her head, a couple tears falling. As short as the time they'd had together may've been, she'd still loved her dearly.

"I'm sorry, Hornet," her companion said sympathetically, as she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"So am I," the warrior whispered, shedding more water. "I'm sorry you had to rob yourself of life for nothing, mother." Granted, it was the reason for her birth, but the plan against the Infection had still failed and left all she'd once known existed in ruin. "But know your death was not in vain, for I've helped finish your task of ending that _pestilence_. And now, I shall avenge you."

She turned to the male. "We _will_ kill him, Max."

"I know we will," her friend assured back, before uneasily looking towards the chamber exit "Though, we gotta get through that 'trial' first."

"Indeed, so listen." She took hold of his arm with a look of seriousness. "I know it is not yet so easy for you, but when we go down there again, you've to keep from showing _any_ weakness. No fear or hesitation, only your upmost strength, because otherwise, those remnant tribesbugs won't listen to us and we can't let that happen." She let out a sigh. "However, when it does happen that the odds turn unchangeably against us, I want you to be ready to flee here, even- even if it means leaving me. Understood?"

The male looked about to protest, which she couldn't have at the moment. "Please, Max. We cannot leave the General without _two_ allies. Promise me you'll do so."

"Fine, I- I'll try," Max replied, "that and the other things too. Though, just in case, remember that I love you, okay." Hornet responded by leaning forth and hugging him, although like he'd said: 'just in case'. Surely things wouldn't truly go that awfully anyway.

"Thanks," the hornet spoke, pulling away from her. He looked to the doorway once more. "That Midwife said setting up wouldn't take that long. We should get going soon."

The Weaverling agreed and they set off to head back to the entrance hall. As they passed through the exitway, however, she spared a last glance at the shrine to her mother.

"I've a question," Max said, once they began down the darker shaft, earning an asking hum from her. "What's with those mantis packs? Why're they so different from each other?"

"The Traitors? They were a part of the tribe that accepted the Infection and were cast out because of it. Their strength was enhanced, but their minds damaged, they've no longer a leader either. Still, keep your distance when we face them," Hornet explained. Honestly, she was surprised any had even survived, especially with their lord now slain. She continued with giving her malefriend advice on battling the other tribes, from the more nimble untainted mantises to the shielded Mosskin knights.

As they were coming to the pit leading back into the large chamber, a little Weaver climbed up from it, the same male with whom Max hadn't gotten along too well (although she couldn't blame him for it).

"Young Weaver, how go the preparations," the female asked flatly.

"I was sent up to let you know they're ready," the spider replied, crossing his forelegs with a spiteful grin. "I will be pleasant watching you let show how powerless you and your word to that hyu-man truly are before us, Wyrmchild, _commoner_. None can beat us warriors." Hornet heard an angry rumble from her companion, feeling quite fed up herself.

"We shall see," she spoke, staying cordial in spite of that. "Lead the way, _Weaverchild_." The irritating youth frowned and hopped down the hole, quickly followed by her and the hornet.

Jumping off the wall together, they landed in the emptied middle of the chamber, all its lamps now extinguished to create relative darkness, which the halfling could see fairly well through by squinting. She didn't have to for long, however, as a wide ring of torches around them were lit in tandem, showing properly the tribalbug groups, who'd all taken up spots by the chamber walls. Out the same hole she'd been in earlier hung Midwife, looking down onto them.

"All is ready and you've come, young ones," she began coldly. "Now, as is customary in the Nest, we shall judge your right to the alliance you've asked from us and our fellow tribes by way of battle. Your strength will be shown, as will ours. Let us begin."

This prompted an eruption of hissing and war roars from the surrounding warriorbugs, as representatives of each tribe present stepped into the makeshift arena, those being two from both mantis packs, a Moss knight and a little Weaver riding atop a devout. To their kinds' further cheers, they began to close in on the two hunters.

"So how long do we do this? Until they're injured or dead or-," whispered Max, glancing around, as he drew his nail.

That was indeed a good question. With how vague the spider-creature had left it, seemingly on purpose, one that Hornet didn't know either. In her very youth, fights in the Nest had ended varyingly, sometimes with death, sometimes not. Still, they needed _something_ to go by.

"Until they relent," she hissed back. No matter how long that took.

* * *

Moments later, the leaner mantises reached them, both slashing forth with their claws, the hornet blocking it, while she dodged out the way, nearly getting hit immediately after by the Moss knight. On a whim, she struck back, only for it to be blocked by the plant-like bug's shield. Then, however, they swung again, leaving an open spot that the female didn't squander, attacking the opponent's front and forcing them back. She didn't follow, though, remaining beside her malefriend, whose wide blows had made one of the tall bugs retreat as well.

Matters were clearly not getting any easier for them, for she next saw the devout approach, along with the mantis Traitors, one of whom was aiming for Max, the other for her. Swiftly getting out the way again, she pulled her companion out the other's, as the altered bugs dashed through with their strong claws.

"Thanks," yelled the hornet, attempting another attack at his mantis.

"Focus, Max! Remember we're outnumbered," the female replied, parrying jabs from the small spider on top of the larger one. True to her word, the two quickly found themselves fully surrounded again, the Traitors having rejoined, with the Moss knight approaching as well. Their backs against one another like at the crossroad before, the Weaverling, as she'd done then, regretted not having trained for such an occasion. Still, this wasn't the end just yet, though it'd be if she didn't take action. Glaring at the surrounding opponents, she chose one of the changed mantises (having no qualm for their death).

Before the mutated bug could effectively retaliate, she shot at them, slashing at their midsection, before repeatedly stabbing it, only stopping when they fell back, dead, to which she could glimpse at least one of the mantis lords smirk. Looking back, she saw one of the slim warriors crawling out of the battle ring, a visible gash on their side, as Max engaged the other that'd recovered by now, facing away from the Moss knight that looked about to attack.

Letting out a gasp, the warrior rushed to help, only to be blocked by the pair of spiders. And while she couldn't see it, simply hearing her Max's pained snarl felt awful. She tried making it to him, but was stopped again by the little Weaver dismounting her larger companion. They were also joined by the remaining Traitor mantis, who now came at her even more viciously, further limiting her movement.

This was not good. While not yet very skilled in fighting together, they were much worse off separated.

Another yell from the hornet made her know she had to change that. Both screeching, the Traitor and little Weaver charged at her, making her dodge back, then strike at the former. She punched the spider back, before closing in to finish the mutated mantis, stabbing them like she had the other and finally slicing their neck, though only after they managed to land a successful blow at her own midsection. That was made worse when the Weaverchild leaped onto her back, painfully jabbing at it. Snarling, she grabbed for the spider, pulling them in front of her to slash across their mask, creating a visible scar, and casting them away.

Turning around, she angrily stared down the devout, who finally gave in, pulling open her sharp foreclaws previously disguised as her mask and charging at her, rapidly slashing. Hornet dodged each blow, before dashing forth herself and vaulting over the giant bug. There, she could see Max dealing furious blows at the mossy warrior, long scars on both his abdomen and arm. Behind him, however, the now lone mantis prepared for another strike at his back. Not about to let that happen, the halfling ran and leaped at her, lethally piercing her mask, much her tribesmates' audible shock.

She convinced herself to be less sorry with the knowledge that there'd be enough of them left once they rescued their young from Hallownest.

Just then, she turned to see her companion knock the Moss knight's nail aside with his, to which they kneeled, yielding to him, before making it out of the ring. The hornet stepped to the female's side, a tired smile on his mask.

"You okay, Hornet," he asked, that loveable care in his tone.

"Well enough. Let's just finish this," she replied with a bit of strain, the pain from the blows she'd been dealt making itself known. The male nodded determinedly and they faced towards the devout, steadily nearing her.

Suddenly, the halfling heard a *whoosh* from behind them and, on instinct, dove aside with Max, making them narrowly avoid the claws of a third mantis that stopped ahead, glaring towards them. Moments later, the Weaverchild siblings from earlier entered the arena as well.

"What the heck! Why do they get to enter now? This isn't fair," Max exclaimed angrily, looking to Midwife, with Hornet doing likewise.

"Such is battle, young one," the creature responded, it being clear she was smirking even behind the mask. "Why, is it too much for you? I hope not, you've come so far."

"It's not," he growled back, "and we'll make it to the end!"

"Hah, in your visions, commoner," jeered the male little Weaver. "You won't even survive to _touch_ us!"

It was then that Hornet noticed the devout's claws were already opened again and that she was aiming for them. A fraction of a moment later, she charged, leaving the warrior no time to do anything more than shout and slam her companion out of the way, taking the brunt of the blow. The large spider's attack cut through her cloak and into her left arm, as well as knocking her back. The pain was unimaginable and she let it be known, screaming. On her limb, she saw a wide, bleeding wound.

"_Hornet!_" Max scrambled for her, but was kept away by the little Weavers and mantis, while the devout approached her again, intent on finishing what'd been started. Intent herself on not letting it happen, the warrior tried to dodge, but wasn't quick enough, being grabbed by the spider's smaller claws, readying her big ones for the deed.

"_No!_"

There was the sound of a slash and the devout reared her head in pain, dropping Hornet onto her knees. Glancing aside, she saw the hornet, barely holding his own against the three opponents, as well as the chuckling Midwife. Truly, the servant had never cared for her as anything more than a chore. She wouldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing her die cowering like this.

She shakily pushed herself back up using her needle, then, before the recovered spider could close her claws, speared her through the head with it, killing her. The great bug fell limp and to her side, pulling her with. Laying there, in pain, she let go of the blade and clutched her bleeding arm, though with the knowledge it wouldn't do much.

"Give up already and let me kill you! You're not accomplishing anything," the male Weaverchild's voice yelled, catching her attention. The halfling turned her head to see her companion still desperately fighting the three bugs, more new cuts covering him. He'd been supposed to flee at this point!

"He's right, hornet, you're not," his sister added, essentially dancing around the male. "At least flee or yield. You're the only of your kind!"

"Shut up," snarled the hornet back, landing only a few of his swings. "We- We're going to win this!"

"We? You're alone! The Wyrmchild's already-," the other male stopped himself, staring at the two laying bodies, specifically Hornet. "Fine, I shall do it myself!" The spider began scurrying for her. The halfling breathed in acceptance. At least it would give her love the opening and sense to escape.

"_Don't you dare touch her_," instead roared the hornet, finally landing a proper swing on the remaining little Weaver and following it up with several kicks and punches, visibly incapacitating her. He then rushed after the brother, pouncing onto his back just as he reached Hornet, laying onto him with the feralness she'd hoped and wanted to never see again.

"Max," she croaked, as her furious malefriend slashed off one of the spider's legs, "please, stop." Having already raised his blade again, he stopped, looking down at her, then the little Weaver, before lowering it.

"S- Sorry."

"What? Why do you stall? End me already," the Weaverchild rasped with a pained voice, clutching his halved leg. When his wish wasn't fulfilled, he said: "You're weak. Didn't even slay a single bug, not even with the chance."

"You want me to kill? Fine," replied Max darkly, as the mantis reached behind him, preparing to strike. In a single, short moment, the hornet slashed around, felling them in a single blow. He then raised his nail above his head again, shouting: "I did it, you cheating pieces of _doma_! You follow us now!"

The tribalbugs, at least those Hornet could see, responded by all standing up and bowing respectfully, though the male didn't give that much attention, kneeling down over her.

"Hornet," he said tearfully, rolling her onto her back. "C'mon, speak to me, please."

"M- Max," the halfling replied weakly, looking up at him, "why didn't you-"

"I'm sorry. I couldn't. Love you too much." He waved around the chamber. "But it worked out, see? And now you're gonna be okay too."

Confused, Hornet shakily showed her wounded arm, which, even with her hand on it, was almost gushing blood. "Max, I'm bleeding out. _T- they_ won't have enough to stop it. Max, I'm going to die-"

"Don't say that, don't think that either," her malefriend retorted. "You're not going to die. We'll get you to a hot spring."

Hornet's eyes widened and she tightened her grip, suddenly less accepting of death. Even so-

"I- I can't move, Max."

"Then I'll carry you," the male spoke back. "You'll just tell me where to go. C'mon, Hornet, we'll get through this." With such attitude, that they would indeed.

"Very well."

"Great," Max happily whispered, before standing up again. "When we get back with the General, ya'll are gonna do _everything_ he says, _got it_?"

Hornet couldn't see it, but ever so sullenly, Midwife nodded.

* * *

Having taken both their blades and stuffed them in his sheath, the hornet took her onto his shoulders and started out the Beast's Den, hopping over the web-held platforms and into the tunnels. Hornet, as promised, gave him directions to more forgiving routes that didn't require climbing, though she mostly focused on grasping her wound as tightly as she could, now that she had a chance to survive. Despite it, as they passed the Nest's territory and approached the crossroad where they had been caught, she began to feel lightheaded and found herself blacking out at times.

Still, it didn't stop her from guiding her companion towards the magic spring. By some miracle, even in the wild tunnels, they didn't come upon a single beast, dangerous or otherwise. Their path did get slightly harsher towards the end, with her hornet having to cross both rougher terrain and worm-pits. After those, however, they both felt the fresh scent of water, soon glimpsing its light ahead.

It didn't take much more for them to reach the safe cave, as Max carried the female in, laying her beside the pool and kneeling down as well, much to her confusion. He then took hold of her cloak and tugged on it, before stopping, his mask reddening.

"Can I?"

Hornet rolled her eyes. "If you need to, Max, go ahead," she croaked. He'd earned it this time.

Hearing that, he pulled the tattered garment off her, tossing it aside and helping her into the pool. The very moment she sank into the SOUL infused water, she could feel it start mending her wounds, even the lighter ones. Not before long, she relaxed her grip on the wound, fully relaxing. Before she could drift off completely, however, she caught Max still standing at the pool's side, his new scars well in view, and motioned for him to join her. Blushing again (she'd finally learned to tell when he did), the male took off the sheath and stepped over to lay down beside her. They then took hold of each other in a prolonged, pleasant embrace, contently listening to the water flow. They'd both earned this.

"This's so nice," Max uttered after some time, when the female's trauma felt largely healed already.

"Agreed," spoke a deep voice behind them, causing the pair of young bugs to yelp and jump to their feet, before looking around to find Lembit sitting on the bench at the spring's side, one leg over the other, looking back and calmly saying: "Well, hello to you two as well. You're looking good. How'd it go with the tribals?"

"I- Well. Yes, it went well," Hornet replied, her mask warm. "They stand with us." Managing some dignity, she crossed her arms. "When did you get here?"

"Not sure," the hyu-man said. "I could've been here the entire time without you noticing." He chuckled softly. "I'm joking. I got here while you were in the water. Didn't want to interrupt, because you looked so adorable." The blush returned to her face in full force, though it didn't silence her.

"But how is it you found us?"

"Just happened to get lucky with the first place I visited," replied the male, glancing the ceiling. "It was the closest to the den, after all."

"Yeah, uh, speaking of that, how's my hiv- _uncle_ doing," Max asked worriedly.

"He's- I did my best and he'll _largely_ be the same," the General answered, "though he'll have to change for a bit longer like you did. We'll get him after we take Dirtmouth, okay?" The hornet gave a nod. "Good, now get your things."

The hunterbugs followed his command, picking up their few possessions. Wearing it again, Hornet sadly looked at the tears all over her cloak, especially the ones from their last battle. At least with the Nest being on their side, she could finally get some new thread to fix it. Having put back on his sheath, Max joined her in front of the hyu-man.

"Our tasks down here are done. Now we focus on that village," he declared. "Really, with how fast things've gone, we might even make it there faster than the others." He faced towards the female. "Hornet, like the times before, you're our guide here. Lead us to the surface."

"I shall," she affirmed, already thinking of the route they'd take. "'With luck', you'll be able to meet our _new allies_, Lembit."

* * *

**Here we are. Another late night, longer upload. This one has more plot development, but also teases for stuff about our main hooman, since I want to do stuff with him beyond this story. Still, maybe I revealed too much with him? Whadyouthink?**

**This is also the most graphic chapter in a long time, maybe even surpassing Ch 15. **

**Next time, we'll be seeing how the other humies have been doing this time before the big siege.**


	33. Chapter 29: Breaking and Entering

Chapter 29: Breaking and Entering

* * *

**KENT**

* * *

_A few hours earlier_

Having taken off from their bug friend's, Oro's, home, the band of four humans trekked through the flake-filled cave in the same direction they had escaped from days before. Their part in the plan was clear: go get their guns back, then get up to that village and liberate it, in progress freeing the folks from Elsewhere there and coming one step closer to saving the world from that evil 'god king'. Now, Kent didn't pretend to fully understand everything the General had told about its power and growth and whatnot, but he knew that thing was nothing heavenly, on the contrary. Another reason why they had to stop 'im, no matter what it took.

Still, it would've been nice if these caves weren't so damn cold. At least the red-cloaked warrior gal had said the ones the humans would be getting to were warmer. She'd also given them the map (carried by Green) with an apparently safer path marked onto that, while longer, decreased the chance of them being spotted by patrolling bug soldiers, which Kent guessed was for the best. They weren't fully unarmed, though, the soldiers having taken those weird swords Oro had taught them to use. He himself hadn't trusted the big guy enough to join in and then it'd been too late.

He'd just wait until they got the guns back. There'd been a fair few mags on him that the invaders had taken with his Colt.

Having made it past the spot he and the others had been saved a few days back now, the men, per the bug girl's instruction, soon started into another cave running parallel to the ravine that in turn bordered those things' capital city. Though that hid them from the guards keeping watch there, it didn't mean they were completely safe. The occasional pools of the green, bubbling acid (that actually gave off a bit of welcome warmth) weren't too hard to get by, but there was also the threat of those feral spitter-things, as well as the 'traitorous bees'. So far, they hadn't run into either and Kent hoped it'd stay this way.

That was pretty much the case for some time, until they heard something coming from ahead. However, instead of the bugs he'd expected, the pair approaching them weren't flying but hopping, their appearance identical to the one Oro had saved them from, just a lot smaller. Despite that, they got close and tried to pounce with their sharp-looking snouts, prompting the soldiers to whack them dead. They weren't attacked by anything else while in the flake-caves, although there were a fair few times some beastie got a bit too close for comfort.

After a good bit of time, the side-tunnel ended and they had to cross into the main canyon, which thankfully wasn't guarded as well as the spot that lead up to the desert, letting them sneak by. It didn't take much longer to reach the pipe marked by the warrior-girl, which was one of many in the city-side wall, all flowing water. Climbing inside, all four were surprised at how clean non-disgusting it was, for a sewer at least. However, the gross part was yet to come, as soon after they'd started down the previously discussed canal (map didn't help much there), the stink hit them.

And it only got worse.

A bit further and through another pipe and they'd made it into the 'mushroom caves' Kent'd been sure the bug and Juss had been kidding about. The walls, ceiling, even the ground was covered in huge spotted bulbs, visible clouds of their more-than-strongly scented spores making the air thick. At least it seemed safe to breathe and besides, some smell wasn't going to stop them. Following the General's directions, they first went a good way upwards. Having spent most of his life where he did, Kent had a bit of trouble with the climbing, needing some help from the soldiers, though no more than was necessary. Moving along, they also took in what 'sights' there were and he wasn't even surprised when he saw a mushroom with legs get up and run off.

Soon enough, they'd reached a specific shroom sketched onto the map, telling them to continue straight ahead. Though they soon had to slow their pace a little to avoid being spotted by a pair of bug soldiers keeping guard. Thankfully, it didn't take more than a few well-thrown rocks to distract the creatures, letting them sneak past and up a cave connecting into an even bigger one. This one had a entire lake of acid, a part-broken stone bridge leading over it and to a better built structure in the cavern wall that must've been the 'station' the General'd said the bad guys had set up a major base in. And which they had to get through.

The collapsed sections of the bridge had been covered with wood planks, letting the humans easily reach the entrance, where it didn't take long for them to spot the man-sized open duct not too far beside it on a small shore above the acid. Three of them dropped down on it, with Smith staying up just in case. Being the team's leader, Lane climbed into the vent first, followed by Green. However, Just as Kent was about to get in too, he heard steps come from the doorway and stopped dead, seeing a guard walk out onto the bridge. Not noticing him or the soldier, they stretched their bug-arms.

Why they chose to do that _here_, he had no idea.

A few seconds later, they were done and turned around to go back, only to come face to face with Smith, freezing as well, as the two stared at each other. The human snapped out of it first and rushed forward, impaling the unprepared bug with his sword and shoving, making them fall into the acid with it, though not before yelling loudly. The disarmed man jumped down beside Kent.

"In, now," he told him, as more shouts sounded from inside the station. That didn't need to be said twice.

They quickly crawled into the metal chute, where the other soldiers were waiting a little ahead.

"Keep quiet, they're alert," Smith hissed, causing them to nod. True to his words, there was audible commotion outside the vent. Keeping as quiet as possible, they pulled themselves along, the claustrophobia starting to gnaw at the theorist a little. It was even worse when they passed the grated panels that gave a view from the chute into the (admittedly nice-looking) station, but also vice versa, making him worried that some bug was going to glance in and spot them. Luckily, that didn't happen and after what felt longer than what it probably really was, the men in front of him finally got out the other side.

Kent scrambled out as well, standing up and taking a deep breath of the cool, although still pretty damp air. Glancing around, he saw the military man hadn't lied about this place either. The cave was covered in greenery, from which jutted out small transparent, well, _bubbles_, with more floating in the surrounding purplish fog. Weirdness aside, it actually didn't look half bad.

Sadly, he couldn't take it in for very long, as Smith got out, then up behind him, making Lane tell them to keep going, which was for the best with how riled up the station still sounded. This meant another climb, though, the tall cave really living up to its name of 'Canyon', being far more upright and, by extension, harder to scale than the shroom-caves earlier. At least there was more to grab onto and after a good while of pulling themselves up, careful not to touch the sparking bubbles that floated by sometimes, the humans reached the top ledges, the theorist's shirt basically glued to his back from sweat by now.

Going by the warrior-princess' directions again, they took the passage right, ending up in a positively _giant_ cavern, in the middle of which stood a large round building lead to by an equally fancy-looking bridge. As little as Kent thought of these bugs, he had to admit they knew how to build.

"_Hot damn_," muttered Lane, before asking Green: "This the place?"

The other soldier looked at the map. "Affirmative. Now let's go scour through it and get our shit back."

There was a collective, confident 'yeah' among the men, before they started through the bridge's doorway. Nothing or –one else was going to get in their way now.

* * *

**BRIGHT**

* * *

Having finished his noon break, the apprentice scholar exited of the upper library and headed for one of the stairways leading deeper into the Archives. Reaching the bottom, he took a corridor, all of which had now been fully drained of the constructs and acid, much to his relief and Quirrel's delight. The Chief Scholar himself was currently in the capital to investigate, at the local sentries' behest, what was left of the Soul Sanctum, an old school of bugs that had dealt with the dark practice of harnessing others' SOUL for their own benefit, leaving him alone in the great archive once again.

Bright didn't mind. There was enough for him to do, from reading more about medicine to working on the project assigned by the Pale King himself.

He entered an otherwise ordinary-seeming room, though its current use was anything but. Stepping up to the table at its center, his main work station for three days now, the scholarbug looked at the black metal object, or weapon, rather, on it. That's what it was, after all, having with brought to the archives with two others just like it, as well as several pieces of unusual equipment and armor, all of which had been captured from some threat the kingdom was apparently at war with (coming as a surprise to him). The items' design and craftsmanship was much more advanced than most that was in Hallownest, which was why he and his teacher had been tasked with studying them, particularly the weapons, and devise ways to create more of the like for use by the royal sentries.

While the idea of designing instruments used to killing wasn't at all appealing to Bright, his desire for a calling in medicine growing each day, he hadn't dared refuse and, with Quirrel, had taken apart and examined everything in one of the 'firearms' (the name had just come to him. Honestly, he felt quite proud). The weapon's function was cruel, but effective, a pull of the 'trigger' launching at a great speed small metal spikes taken from a removable box that tests had shown could hit targets both close and at range, though with nigh-painfully loud bangs from the weapon.

With the research done, the next course of action had been to design their own firearm that could be produced in needed numbers for Hallownest's forces. Quirrel had done a large part of the work here, but Bright had helped too. The basis for the prototype had easily been the disassembled firearm's shell, as it seemed to have been made by and for common bugs or at least creatures very similar to them. Much of the mechanism also was the same, if a bit simplified to ease assembly. However, they'd run into an issue with the spikes, that being the powder they needed to be launched, which wasn't something even the older bug could recognize, much less know how to make more of.

Finding a solution to this had taken up the latter part of the two scholars' yesterday, until Quirrel had finally figured it out, explaining to the apprentice of his travels around Hallownest before their king's reawakening and how, in the Crystal Peak, he had seen reanimated husks of miners (why that'd been, he didn't say) covered in the empowered gems growing there use them to shoot beams of searing light, his idea now being to apply that concept to their weapon. Bright had agreed and they'd begun revising their existing designs to suit it, both working halfway into the night to perfect them. By the time they'd been done, the Chief Scholar had been so tired he'd decided to remain in the Archives to sleep.

It'd felt quite nice for Bright to know he wasn't on his lonesome for once.

With the older bug's departure in the morning, it had fallen onto him to put together the experimental firearm by their created design. What they'd arrived at last night looked a bit rough, being rather bulky in key places, but that had been the case for many other firsts of things. The comfort could be improved on later models. So far, the apprentice had assembled a portion of the mechanical components, some of them from the template weapon, some newly crafted by him with the materials and tools at hand. The core part, a palm-sized pink crystal, which'd been acquired from the Archives' samples, would be added last.

There was still a ways to go before that, however, an hour at the least.

* * *

So, Bright continued working. As he was polishing one of the self-made elements, all of a sudden, he caught a faint noise outside the room. Confused, he stepped into the corridor, where, after a moment of listening, he heard much more clearly what sounded like footsteps coming from above in the archives. He thought it was the sentries, come to get another report about the two scholars' progress, though he found it weird they weren't calling for him like they had the other times. Still, no beast from the surrounding caves would've been brave enough or even able to come inside and no one else had business here, except maybe the messenger, whom he had told to leave any deliveries at his office door. The steps didn't match his running pace, though.

Listening closer, they also sounded much lighter and overall _different_ from the soldierbugs'. Not only that, they appeared to be approaching the stairway down, making the apprentice the slightest bit worried (okay, more than slightly). He'd read and heard talk from the sentries about aggressive tribes of bugs living around Hallownest that refused to submit to the kingdom and even attacked its residents at times. This in mind, Bright reentered the workroom and picked up the small firearm, which was less important than the larger ones, even being too small for a good crystal, but still effective at, well, _hurting_.

Shakily grasping the weapon, he then headed towards the stairs to confront whoever had come into the Archives. He heard multiple sets of footsteps get closer, as well as hushed voices, one of them sounding like a regular bug's, but the others speaking in a language he couldn't understand, though it somehow seemed familiar. Reaching the staircase's middle, Bright turned and froze, finding himself met with a group of four garbed _creatures_ that while similar, were clearly _not _bugs, having light shells and fur atop their heads.

Three of them were also carrying nails, which they quickly pointed at him.

"You, stop where you are," the one at their front, a male, demanded, stepping down towards Bright, only to make him back away, right against the wall.

"I said _stop_!"

"I- who-," the bug stuttered, almost overcome with fear, before remembering what he was holding. Mustering up his courage, he raised the firearm at the advancing being. "Stay back, whatever you are, or I- I'll shoot with this!"

"Huh?" The attacker stopped for a moment, while a confused-sounding mutter came from one of the others. "Give me that," he then angrily said, swiftly snatching the weapon from the bug before he could pull the trigger.

The creature hummed, looking at it. "I believe this belongs to you, _Heys_," he then spoke, handing it over to the sole unarmed member of the group then also wore different garbs than the three with nails. Next, He turned back towards the now-cowering apprentice.

"W- what do you want from me?"

"Considering you had that, you probably have the rest of our equipment," the male _thing_ replied, "and you'll take us to it, _understood_?"

Bright's eyes went wider than they'd been already. These creatures were the same kind Hallownest was at war with, come to reclaim their taken items. They'd definitely kill him if he didn't comply. He couldn't imagine how much that'd have saddened his teacher. However, helping them would've clearly been treason and likely had him put to death by the sentries. Also, he _couldn't_ let down the king.

Still, there were so many things he wanted to achieve as a scholar, with medicine.

"Come on, bug, just start walking already," the male said in a yet calm but impatient tone. "We don't want to be here any longer than we have to and I don't want to cause civilian casualty, but I'll if I have to." With that, he threateningly brought his nail nearer to Bright.

Suddenly, they were approached by the one he'd given the small firearm to, who spoke something to him in the somehow-familiar-sounding language.

"What do you mean," the one with the nail understandably asked back, getting a reply. "One of your townsfolk? Alright, I'll try then."

He started to turn back, but the other continued with something else that he clearly didn't second.

"It won't work, _Heys_. Remember what the General told that king did. Just _Look_ at him. He doesn't remember you."

Whatever it was that meant, the other protested it, crossing his arms. He finished in a pleading tone.

The clearly-speaker huffed. "Okay. Go ahead and try, then," he said, then pulled a decorated medal the scholarbug now recognized as a charm off his chest and handing it over as well.

The other male attached it to his garb, before facing the scared, confused Bright, muttering: "Look at what those fuckers did to you." He let out a chuckle. "Hey, doc Bright, 's me, Kent."

* * *

**KENT**

* * *

The man looked at the human-sized beetle in front of him that'd just threatened him with his own gun, hardly believing he was the same person as his hometown's resident doctor. However, voices didn't lie, even if the doctor's weirdly sounded a bit young for his little-over-thirty years. Like Juss had told, he also clearly didn't remember him or seemingly even his _real_ species.

"H- how do you know my name, creature," the changed man asked fearfully, affirming that thought, while additionally confirming the magic pin-thingy was working like it was supposed to.

Honestly, the theorist was sure the General had been playing favorites when giving it to Lane.

"Because I know _you_, doc," Kent replied with the intent to try and jog his memories, "and you know me. Ya'll just don't remember it right now, other things too."

"I-, huh," Bright stuttered with a confused tone, making the theorist smile a bit. He was getting through to him already. "W- what kind of things?"

"Almost anything, it seems," the man spoke, " holding a gun, for starters, also that you're supposed to be a proper human like us, probably even your real home in Elsewhere." Hell, the doctor had lived there longer than him.

"Human? M- my home-," the bug uttered askingly, before crossing his arms. "Alright, Kent, can you tell why I do not remember these things, then?

"Because that goddamn king made you forget," the theorist ranted. "Brought you here with everyone else 'nd took it all away with that mask." He pointed at the changed physician's bone-white facewear.

"Wait, you- you're telling me that the _king _is why I don't-," Bright started, to which Kent nodded encouragingly. "So that's why your language-" Suddenly, his hand shot to his head, while the other clenched into a fist. "_No!_ I won't fall for your lies! _My king_ is the greatest of bugs and he'd never do something like that!"

The human was taken aback. The brainwashing was going to be harder to overcome than he'd thought. "C'mon, doc, you're stronger than this," he tried regardless. "You just said you remembered English, didn-"

"I don't know why it sounds familiar, but it won't sway me to your nonsense," the beetle cut him off. "Human like you, really?" He scoffed. "And stop calling me a doctor! I'm no more than an apprentice yet." Kent furrowed a brow. They'd even demoted him, pretty badly too. "Now, y- you might as well tell your fellows to kill me, because I won't betray my kingdom."

Kent took a step back, at a loss. Aside from a bit of shakiness in his voice, the doctor had sounded dead serious. He'd been sure he could get through to him, but this made him slightly doubt that.

"What'd I tell you would happen," Lane asked with annoyance, holding out his hand, clearly for the charm. "He's too far gone to be turned like this, Hayes."

"Well, what else can we do," the man asked back, taking off and giving the pin after a moment's hesitation. They couldn't just leave him there, he'd have run off. And they sure as hell weren't going to actually hurt him, _right_?

"Well, we tried the easy way," the soldier replied, having put the magic thing on again. He then approached the bug, his weapon worryingly raised. "Now, I don't know what you shouted at him, but it really seemed you think you're brave enough to die for your 'kingdom'. So we'll see about that. Tell us where our things are or I _will_ hurt you." He grabbed and held Bright up against the wall by the shoulder, while _touching_ the sword's blade against his side.

Despite his earlier words, the ex-human started trying to struggle in the grip, snapping something now incoherent back, though with audible desperation.

"Were you this stubborn before," Lane muttered. "Alright, I warned you. He yanked the wide blade back, creating a visible scratch on the gray, hard skin and causing the victim to cry out with pain, much to Kent's growing anger. The grunt seemed to be going for another slice, which he wasn't gonna let happen.

"Fuck's sake, stop it," he exclaimed angrily, his hand moving to the pack pocket he'd put the gun in. Human or not, no folks of Elsewhere were going to get abused this way on his watch. The soldier halted and turned to glare at him, letting the bug go, which made him continue: "Who do you think you are that you can hurt him like this! I don't care if it's quicker, that's my town doctor!"

"Yeah, man, I know you don't want us staying in this place too long, but that isn't a reason to jump to goddamn torture," Green spoke up. "Plus, I'm pretty sure he's still legally American."

"I- You might be right with that," the 'team leader' admitted, before saying: "Still, the only other way's to knock him out here." He pointed at Kent. "For all that talk now, you clearly said you don't have a clue on what to do either."

"You wanna know what? I actually do," the theorist retorted, arms crossed. The sudden idea might've not been too good, but it was worth a shot and anything was better than just hurting the changed man. Sighing, he held out a hand. "Just give me the thing."

"_Fine_, try then. See if it goes any different." The soldier tossed him the charm, which he quickly put on again, before approaching Bright, who was sitting by the wall, clutching his hurt side. The man crouched down, making him pull away, becoming even sadder to look at.

"It's okay. I won't do anything," Kent said as softly as he could, holding up his arms.

"Why'd you make him stop," the bug asked, then declared: "If you think it'll make me fall for-"

"I don't care if you don't believe it, doc. It's true," the man interrupted, wanting to make it quick, "but that's not the point. Listen, I can see you don't want _him_ to hurt you anymore _or_ be seen by a traitor by that king of yours. What about you take us nicely to my _fellows_' things and we knock you out, so you don't get suspected of anything." The scratch was going to help with that.

"And none of you will hurt me anymore," the changed doctor said skeptically.

"Other than to knock your lights out, no. _I_ won't let them," the human promised. "C'mon, Bright, please. We _need_ those things."

There was a second or two of silence. Finally, the bug nodded, to which he smiled, before getting back to his feet, helping him up as well. He then looked back at the soldiers, shrugging smugly.

* * *

None of them said anything back, just joined him in following Bright down the rest of the stairs that lead into a hallway lit with green, much like the areas the humans had gone through upstairs, something Kent found kind of creepy, along with a lot else in these 'archives'. The place simply felt unnatural. While he'd seen books and desks in some rooms they'd passed, a lot of the space both here and upstairs was taken up by giant tubes coming out of the floor that had small, glowing symbols flash inside, which, as well as the fact most of the building looked to be entirely of metal, made it a bit hard to believe it belonged to a kingdom whose soldiers still used swords.

At least they were going to be out soon. They followed the bug down the medium-length corridor for less than a minute, before he stopped, pointing to, then going in one of the more normal-looking rooms, within eyeshot of the stairs. The theorist shot Lane a glare, since not even saving time was an excuse for what he'd tried to do anymore, as the four men entered as well, finding themselves in a small room with multiple shelves and a workbench, on which laid some parts, tools and what was clearly a gun, the two others leaning against a wall. Beside them, Kent also a pile of three bulky, sand-colored combat vests.

The soldiers dropped their swords and went to quickly strap their equipment on, taking their helmets from one of the shelves. Like the rest of the gear, they looked a bit damaged, obviously from the crash and being torn off their owners right after. They then moved on to the rifles, the ones by the wall turning out to be Green's and Smiths, leaving the one taken apart on the table to be Lane's that Kent guessed was there for _bug science_.

Looking closer, though, he saw the firearm wasn't just partly disassembled, but that some of the components were cut down or otherwise 'modified' with the medieval tools at hand. There were even a few new parts seemingly out of the small pieces of metal there.

"The hell's he doing to my gun," the soldier said, not sounding too happy. "Hayes, ask him, 'cause this isn't just research."

The man nodded, still wearing the charm, and turned towards Bright. "Doc, what're you building there with Lane's rifle," he asked.

Looking back, the bug hesitated for a moment. "My master and I were ordered to create weapons based on yours for our sentries to wield. We couldn't replicate the ammunition they use, though," he started and explained how, as a solution, they decided to use a kind of pink crystal that apparently could shoot out beams of dangerously scalding light when used right. Describing that made him clearly uncomfortable, which Kent understood, seeing as the doctor had never been _too_ fond of guns before, seeing them as an opposite to his line of work.

Still, he relayed it to the other humans, as well as adding that it would probably take at least two more hours to finish (no wonder with those tools).

"Damn, tough luck, man," Green said sorrily, patting Lane on the shoulder. "Looks like you'll have to manage with the nail. You said yourself we shouldn't take too long here."

"Well, scratch that," the team leader surprisingly replied, "I don't care if it takes two hours, I am not leaving my gun here, nor are _we_ leaving a _laser_ _weapon_ to the enemy. We'll let him build it." He looked at Kent. "Hayes, you'll help him, since you're buddies."

Jabby nature aside, the man agreed to the order and told it to Bright, before quickly getting to work with him, while the soldiers watched on, looking like goddamn prison guards. After a while, Lane joined in too, it being his gun after all. Still, with nothing more than hammers, files, small saws and the like. It didn't help either that the theorist wasn't that skilled at gunsmithing, the small gunstore he got his ammo from not offering more than basic sights, tape and grips and any other options being too far for comfort. At least they knew _what_ to do, as the schematics, though hand-drawn, were done so very accurately and intelligibly, even if someone didn't understand the writing with them.

* * *

Following the good instructions, assembling most of the 'laser gun's' mechanism took the two men and bug roughly over an hour, though definitely less than two. As they were fitting in the last metal elements, so they could add the palm sized crystal and be finished, Bright suddenly stopped and looked at the hallway. Before Kent could ask what was up, he turned and walked to the door, getting the others' attention as well. Rifles and sword raised, the soldiers went after him, followed by the concerned theorist. Like the bug was doing, he peeked out into the corridor, towards the staircase, from where he then heard faint, yet heavy sounding footsteps, multiple sets of them.

"'Ey, apprentice! Get up here! We need a report," a muffled, gruff voice called. Alarmed, Kent looked at the turned doctor, whose eye-holes he swore had also widened.

"Oh no." The bug started to glance between the humans, breathing rapidly. "You- They- We'll be found out!"

"Sentries," Lane asked gravely, which Kent confirmed, making him groan. "_Fuck_. We'll have to send them away." He snatched the charm off the theorist's chest and put it on, facing Bright. "Calm down and listen. You're going to go up there and tell them the truth that the gun isn't ready yet, while we finish it up here, understand. Smith will go with you, _just in case_." Ignoring the bug's short reply, he handed the charm over to the man in question, adding: "Make sure he does it. Otherwise, for God's sake stay out of sight."

The other soldier gave a nod and motioned for Bright to start walking, while the rest of the humans reentered the workshop, though even Kent knew the trooper didn't go with for his safety, but theirs and hoped the changed man would see sense and do as told, cause the alternative wouldn't've been nice.

* * *

**BRIGHT**

Heading back up the corridor, the young scholar felt nervous, scared, but most importantly: confused. Confused why the human Kent was being so genuinely friendly, as well as protective towards him and (a little less) confused at himself for helping him and the other three, who were clearly enemies of Hallownest that'd even hurt him. There was just that nagging sense of familiarity about them that Bright found weirdly hard to directly think about. That, and he'd decided he _didn't_ want to die, which was why he was going to as they asked and get the soldierbugs to leave, then let them give him a good enough concussion, letting them escape without him being suspected of anything.

Even with the firearms, they couldn't possibly stand a chance against the kingdom's army, so everything would be alright in the end.

The bug reached the staircase with the human sentry, '_Smiff_', who'd clearly come with him to ensure he wouldn't reveal him and his companions to the patrol here for the report.

"You go up there and get it done. I'll hide on the stairs should something happen," he spoke sternly, acting like that wasn't the case.

The apprentice took a deep breath and nodded, before starting up the staircase, coming to its top to be met with a group of five sentrybugs standing in the upper corridor. He approached the already familiar, older bug with a taller red helmet.

"Took your damned time," the captain said in his rough tone, "but very well. Is the project ready? You scholars told it would not take much longer yesterday."

"We did, Sir, yes. Unfortunately, it isn't finished just yet," Bright replied truthfully. "You can go back for-"

"By our good ruler, how long will you smarties take with it," the sentry leader interrupted. "I am getting impatient, our king as well."

"Well, Sir, science takes time and effort," the scholar explained, keeping his tone humble. "I only started putting the prototype together this morning, alone as well because the Chief Scholar had to leave for the capital. I've nothing to give you yet." He prayed to the king that they'd take that for an answer.

"Just wait, apprentice," the other bug instead spoke. "Before we do go, however, tell me exactly how far you are with the assembly. It has been quite long since morning."

Bright held back an annoyed groan, but saw no harm in telling. "_I_ was actually in the process of putting in the last needed pieces. It'll be ready by the next time you come."

"Oh, so you could add the final pieces and do nothing else of merit meanwhile? I _know_ you apprentice types," the captain spoke, before adding to his horror: "which is why you'll take us down, so I can watch you finish it and make sure you do whatever else you're supposed to."

"Sir, I- I assure you, it'd still take long," he nervously talked back. "Please, be a bit patient."

"I've no patience for laziness," the old soldier growled. "Hallownest's at war; all its' bugs must pull their weight. Now start moving, gruzzer, that's an _order_." He glanced back at the other sentries. "Come on, boys."

"Actually, Sir, permission to stay up here? This place is eerie as _doma_," one of them asked, another beside him nodding strongly."

"Ugh, very well," the captain replied, looking back to Bright. "It's for the best if they guard. Some dangerous creatures are roaming the caves here right now. Even got a poor sentry at the station."

If the scholarbug hadn't been so terrified, he'd have laughed at the irony.

With him made to be right beside the captain, the four bugs headed for the staircase. He tried to protest a few more times, but to no avail and stopped to not arouse actual suspicion. They quickly made it down the steps, where _Smiff_ had at least taken off, although Bright glimpsed something in the shadow under the stairs, which the sentries thankfully didn't. That gave little relief, though, as they drew closer to his workroom, whence faint sounds were already heard, earning confused murmurs from his escorts. There was nothing else he could do.

As he, the captain and one of the sentries looked through the door, the soldier _Leyn_, whom Kent had saved him from before, held up the firearm that, from the distance, looked to be finished, saying something in Human. A moment later, he took notice of the bugs, followed by the two other humans, all of whom just stared, the soldierbugs doing the same.

"K- kill them," the captain finally yelled, pointing forward. He looked furiously at Bright. "You- you _traitor_!" He shoved the scholar to the floor and raised his blade. As he was about to bring it down, however, there were two loud bangs and he let out a pained roar, only to then be kicked down himself by Kent, who fired a third shot from the smaller firearm, breathing angrily.

"Bright, _Bright_," he said the downed bug's name in the way it was supposed to be said, but also how it wasn't, before pulling him to his feet, just as the other sentry was penetrated by a thin pink beam, making him fall over and Bright cry out.

He'd been brought to Hallownest for a good, peaceful life of science and hopefully healing bugs, _not this_!

* * *

**KENT**

* * *

The man sent a sympathetic glance at the shaken-up doctor. Poor guy didn't deserve to see that, nor be part of this. Then, he saw a third sentry, charging for him with their sword. Before they could get anywhere close though, two shots rang out behind him, making them fall down and adding to his ear-ringing from the pistol-shots. He looked to see Green, rifle raised, come into the hallway, followed by Lane with his honest-to-God laser gun, both of them glancing at the bodies.

"Thanks, good one," the theorist complimented, barely hearing it. The soldier gave a thankful nod, which suddenly faded, as he pointed down the corridor, where, past the approaching Smith, he spotted two more bug-grunts on the stairs.

"Smith, behind you! Two," Lane called out, to which the two sentries bolted back up, with the soldier running after them. Once he'd disappeared as well, the team leader turned to the other men. "Even if he gets those two, we need to get going. We've got what we came for." He shot a glance at his modded gun. "_Damn_, this thing kicks ass." Kent wholeheartedly agreed.

They reentered the workshop, where he picked his spare pistol mags from the shelf, the troopers taking the remaining AR ammo, with Lane also strapping his sword to his vest. At his request, Green folded up the plans they'd made the laser-gun with, as two more gunshots sounded muffled from somewhere above. Their things collected, the three exited into the corridor, where there was one more question in the form of Bright, who was leaned against the wall and, even with the near-emotionless mask, looked pitiful.

"There's no way knocking him out'll work," said Lane seriously. "He'll break the act or be killed anyways."

"What're you saying, then? We leave him here normally," asked Green to Kent's glare.

"Nah, not at this point," the other soldier replied, sighing. "We'll just have to take him with." He started towards the bug.

"I'll get him to come," the theorist stopped him, still remembering what he'd done before, making the leader shrug and motion for him to go ahead.

"Alright, do your best." That's right. The charm'd been left with Smith. He had to do without.

He stepped up to the bug, saying: "Okay, Doc. I know you can't understand a thing I'm saying, but you're comin' with us. I'll take you to Juss," he couldn't believe he was saying _that_, "he'll hopefully make you better, in the head at least."

The changed man stared back, askingly saying something. Kent sighed. Why'd he even bothered? He grabbed onto Bright's upper arm and pulled him after himself, as the four quickly started down the corridor. Bright protested loudly and even tried to fight back, though it didn't do much, as he'd never seemed too strong as human, much less now. By the time they reached the top of the stairs, his efforts had died down to quiet questions that the man couldn't answer.

The group went through another hallway, then up a spiral staircase that lead into a bigger area. Beside the door to the long entrance bridge leaned Smith, who stood up and approached.

"I got one in the leg, managed to crawl away though," he spoke, tossing Lane the charm. "They're damn nimble when they want to be."

The team leader groaned. "_Shit_. We gotta get to those gardens before they block them off," he said.

They hurried across the enclosed bridge and out into the cavern, retreading right, to the tall chasm. Reaching the overhang, they could already hear commotion coming from the bottom, making them waste no time with spotting and starting towards the path to the gardens below, with Kent having trouble getting the panicked doctor to move, until Lane ordered him to shut and follow. Just as the first sentries appeared below, the two of them dropped onto the ledge, running after the others. They crossed a wooden bridge over another acid lake, before going through a large, fancy gate that opened up to a much greener cave.

Sadly, none of them had time to look around, as the smooth stone pathway lead to an upright cavern with platforms going both up and down. Breathing heavily, Green dug out Oro's map and after a few seconds, pointed at the way up. With Kent sure he could already hear something behind them, the five rushed up the shoddy-feeling metal plates and through a passage into a second chasm, at the bottom of which, they saw what was apparently the 'stag station'.

Entrusting his life to the unstable step-things again, the man and bug followed the others down, careful not to get nicked by the big thorns growing around. Finally, they dropped to the ornate structure's front, where, at the doorway, there were two dead sentries on the floor. Having to ignore them, the escapees went inside, passing a bench and (weirdly enough) a bell-post, making their way into the wide tunnel that passed through the place.

"Alright, like the bug-girl said," spoke Lane. "We just gotta go up."

Looking into the cave ahead, Kent wasn't sure if they'd even be able to see which was up.

* * *

**Hey, another shorter chapter, this time from the perspective of everyone's _favorite_ human. Overall, don't feel that good about this one. There was a lot of switching POVs and the characterization might've not been the best at points. Still, I hope it provided enough plot and action to get you people excited about the next one.**

**On a bit of a seperate note, I feel like the crossover page for HK is still pretty small and limited and thought to ask if anyone is up to change that, even through a short oneshot on something. That'd be cool.**

**R&R and have a nice day.**

**Late EDIT that you probably won't see: Next chapter's probably gonna take longer, cause this heat's making me lazy. That should make it a bit longer than usual though, so that's good, since it's another milestone.**


	34. Chapter 30: Occupation of Dirtmouth

Chapter 30: The Occupation of Dirtmouth

* * *

**JUSS**

* * *

From even his short journey from the hornets' nest to the hot spring, Lembit had understood Adrian's dislike of Deepnest, his own growing more with every passing moment, as he and Max kept after Hornet through the dim tunnels. While he was perfectly capable of handling fairly harsh environments on the surface, having done so many times in the past without using any magic, it was clear that the wild caves here weren't meant for regular humans to survive in. Hell, even he would've had trouble with everything his enhanced senses could feel happening all around them. He wasn't in the mood of 'meeting' anything right now and from the pace the girl was going at, it seemed safe to say she wasn't either.

Thankfully, nothing showed itself. As they continued higher and higher through the gradually more web-covered caves, quick 'pulse' of _reaching out_ revealed to the human the still-present, faint afterglow of the White Lady above them, giving him an idea of where they'd be heading through.

Soon enough, the group climbed into an upright cave with heavier construction in the form of wooden scaffolding. Strangely, one of the walls was partly made of a smooth black substance, which emanated an energy similar to what Lembit had felt in the Abyss. He even noticed a small tunnel in the middle of the black stuff, but postponed exploring it, as Hornet jumped up into a passage surrounded by green moss, a welcome change from the dimly glowing plants below.

Still, it was a shame they hadn't run into the new allies the two young bugs had gotten them.

The three went up a shaft overgrown with layers of the stuff, as well large, sharp thorns, soon climbing onto a built-up, decorated walkway surrounded by even more plant life. Indeed, they'd made it to the Queen's gardens. Wasting no time, the red clad warrior showed the man and hornet along the stone path. They now moved a bit more cautiously, though, as to not alert any sentries still present in the lush caves.

Navigating further upwards, they passed several trashed huts that'd likely belonged to the tribes forced out by the king's bugs, as well as a room infested with more of the giant spikes. Having gotten through there, the General heard voices coming from a hatch above and, peeking up it with Hornet, saw two guards standing in front of what the female whispered to him was the entrance to the 'stag station' they needed to get to.

Not bothering to distract them, he pulled out his knife, motioning for the warrior to take the one on the right. She gave a firm nod and they leapt up, cutting down the sentries in tandem before they could even sound off. Max climbed up as well and they entered the station, having also made life easier for the soldiers, who the man was pretty sure hadn't been as quick as them.

They passed the bell- and signposts, dropping onto the 'stagway', which didn't look too dissimilar to a metro tunnel. As they headed in, Hornet told of the stag network's complexity, apparently spanning the whole kingdom and its surroundings. Fortunately, the only direction they needed was 'up' and not much else. All they now needed was endurance, of which they had plenty, though the kick the kids had gotten from the hot spring had run its course by now.

Even then, he wanted to try it for himself some time. Magic water rarely left him disappointed.

None of them said much in the tunnel in case someone was around to hear. Luck seemed to really be on their side, as for most of the time, there wasn't even a trace of anyone being near. At some point, though, when they ought to have been fairly high already, the sound of their strides was joined by approaching marching from up ahead. Alert, Lembit began to scan the tunnel walls in order to find a deeper spot or even a crevice they could hide in, his companions following suit. However, none of the three could find a nearby cranny big enough to fit even one of them.

It seemed their luck had run out.

"What do we do," Max whispered nervously.

"Take them. We'll handle it," the human replied, sighing. Backtracking wasn't a viable option, since it'd been a fair distance since the last fork in the stagway. So, he motioned for the youngsters to take up positions at his sides, the three readying themselves for the coming battle. Only a small while later, a group of sentries, led by a taller, wider bug with an equally bigger nail, marched around a sharper corner ahead. Upon noticing the smaller party waiting, they all halted, staring. In response, the General took a couple steps towards them, wanting to have a little bit of fun before the fighting started.

"Good day, officer," he said nonchalantly to the foreman, whilst counting three rows of two behind him, one holding a lamp-pole, making it seven of them in total.

"W- Who are you? What are you doing in the royal stagways," the big bug demanded, pointing forth his weapon. "Answer me, creature!"

The human rolled his eyes. Not even the whole of the king's army seemed to know what he was up to. Though, it could've helped him get the drop on them. "I am a- traveler, let's say," he replied, hand inching towards his own blade's handle, "and I assure you, what I do is for _the best_."

"No it isn't," another sentry piped up, pointing behind him, specifically at Hornet, "I recognize that cloak and it is of Deepnest. They're savages!" He bared his nail, followed by the others.

But they did know of the western campaign. The General swiftly pulled out his sword. Even then, it was only a small mishap. "That wasn't very nice, now was it," he asked sharply, motioning for his companions to attack. "You focus on the beetles. I'll take care of the leader."

He slashed at the big bug, who narrowly managed to counter it, the clash being powerful enough to knock Lembit back a few steps. He quickly regained his balance, taking note of the opponent's strength, before rushing forward again in tandem with Max and Hornet, the two hunters taking on the first two sentries beside his, whose chest he dealt another blow at, this time with more success. The bulky guard snarled and retaliated with an overhead strike, which the human parried aside, using that to land a second jab in the tougher-feeling shell.

It was going to take a bit more than normal to properly pierce.

He fended off two wide swings from the now furious guardbug, then went in for another himself, but had it be deflected once again, dodging backwards to avoid a third slash. The bug advanced after him, starting to prove an actual challenge. At least the kids were pulling through, as just then, he saw Hornet knock her opponent's nail aside, stabbing them through the neck. She dashed to Max's side, assisting him in cutting his down. Still, that left them faced with four more and while Lembit doubted little in their ability, he didn't want to risk them to get overwhelmed in any way.

Before helping them, however, he had to finish off the brute of a foreman, preferably quickly.

The bug in question tried for another overhead slash, something the human had expected, blocking it with his blade that he then pushed at the sentry for a cut in the thick shell, eliciting a deep yelp. Not playing around anymore, he immediately followed up with two light strikes, before avoiding a desperate swing, countering it with a kick to the knee, causing the soldierbug to miss a second attack. He sidestepped a third, raising his sword for a blow, after which he aimed to finally impale them. Unfortunately, it came down too far, being stopped by the metal pauldron. The combatant noticed the momentary stagger and shouldered him, slamming him into the cave wall and making him drop his sword.

The large bug let out a victorious shout, charging forward with his nail. Fed up, Lembit reached for his gun, but was abruptly stopped, when the sentry's head got pierced by a bright beam of _pink _from the dark. Looking, he saw five figures approach from the dark, four of them quite familiar, if better equipped than the last time he'd seen them (except for Kent, of course).

"Hello? Sir," Lane spoke from in front of them, breathing heavily. "Tell me it was one of _them _I hit. I only saw a shadow."

"And did it look like one of _us_," the General jokingly asked back, picking up his sword. "No time to talk." He turned towards the young hunterbugs, whom, like he'd feared, the four remaining sentries were putting up a fairly good fight against. That couldn't last. "Hornet, Max, get down _now_!" As ordered, the striped bug pulled his girlfriend to the ground, clearly confusing their opponents.

"Good, open fire," he then ordered, waving his hand, to which Green and Smith stepped beside him and raised their rifles. The tunnel was filled with loud cracks and muzzle flash, as two of the sentries immediately dropped dead. The surviving pair, however, managed to dodge even the following shots and turned around, the lamp-bearer dropping his light source, before haphazardly rushing off.

"_Shit_, can't see 'em," Green hissed, ceasing fire, while the other soldier blindly kept shooting, finally hitting one directly and grazing the arm of the other, who disappeared behind the corner ahead. Smith tried to give chase, but was stopped by Lembit.

"No, let him go," he said, getting a confused look, making him explain: "Element of fear's just as good as surprise. He'll show up alone and bloodied, make the others up there scared like him and likely get the civilians out of the way." The two men nodded, swapping their guns' magazines. "Besides, seems liked you need a break anyway."

He looked towards the other humans, who were still visibly catching their breath.

"We do, Sir, yeah," Lane agreed. "We made it to and out of those archives, but got a fair bit of attention. I think we've lost them, but we kept booking it just in case. Feels like it payed off, at least."

That it had indeed. The three soldiers were once more kitted out in their tactical gear, even if it was a bit torn in places, their helmets' integrated glasses being smashed as well. It still gave more protection than simple fabric. And as Green and Smith had just demonstrated, the assault rifles were going to be very effective in turning the tide. Though, the obvious differences about the third soldier's weapon hadn't gone unnoticed to Lembit. (Honestly, how could they have?)

"I see your gun's undergone some modification, soldier," he said, eyeing the boxy addition. "Any comment?"

"Yes, Sir. Damn bugs tried to reverse engineer it, but couldn't make powder, so they designed it to use a pink crystal that can shoot lasers," the other man explained. "You saw it, right? Quite powerful if you asked me. Penetrates things well."

"Agreed. Good thing you got it back," the officer replied, looking at the 'laser-gun' even more curiously. "_Interesting_." He wanted to learn more of this pink crystal that now made it work, not at the moment.

He turned to see the young hunterbugs reach the larger group, both shaken, although Hornet visibly more so, staring at the troopers' weapons and even faintly shivering. Max, looking a bit better, offered her a look, before stepping up to the General.

"So, we got them, right?"

"No, one got away," the human answered. The hornet raised a hand to say something, but he cut him off: "Don't worry, it's part of the plan. Any other sentries up there will now be scared and much easier to deal with."

"Alright, then," the young male said, clearly not used to such tactics yet. He then glanced behind him. "Hey, who's that?" Turning the same way, Lembit saw he was looking at Kent, who was holding a taller beetle firmly by the arm, having arrived with them.

"I've honestly been wondering that myself," he said. "Who is this, mister Hayes?"

The man nodded and opened his mouth, only for the bug to pull away. "P- please, I've nothing else to give you. I- I'm just an apprentice," he (evidently) spoke in a desperate, fearful tone, causing Max to gasp for some reason. "J- just let me go o- or kill me here."

Kent sighed heavily. "This is doc Thomas Bright. We _ran across him _in the archives and had him help us finish buildin' Lane's gun. Decided to grab 'im with us after those sentries ran off."

"I see. A pleasure to meet you then, doctor," the General spoke to the changed MD, tipping his helmet.

"What? I told you I- I'm just an apprentice. Why d'you keep calling me that," the beetle asked, before suddenly clutching his head. "Why's it so hard to think 'bout it?" Lembit eyed him sympathetically. At least the memory blocks would be easy to remove if they were this obvious.

"It's alright. I'll fix him with the others after we've taken the town," he said to the man holding onto the bug.

"Speaking of it, When shall we continue our journey," Hornet queried, having seemingly recovered.

At that, the General glanced askingly at Lane, who nodded firmly, followed by the rest of the soldiers. "Appears now's as good a time as any," he responded, looking over the others with him. "Let's go liberate ourselves a town." His companions gave agreeing murmurs and he began leading the way up the tunnel. Other than being a blow to the Pale King, this'd also give them a proper foothold for planning the decisive attack against him.

Plus, it'd also be the first armed takeover he'd personally taken part in in quite some time, so that was nice.

* * *

It didn't take very long for light to become visible ahead, the stagway leveling out, as well as forking into two other tunnels that both lead back downwards. All this pointed to them having made it to the surface town.

Expecting the station to be guarded, the General got against the tunnel wall, telling his group to do the same and Green to cover the lantern, which the soldier had thought to pick up to light the other humans' way. He then snuck to beside the platform with the young warriors, peeking over it to see a single sentry indeed keeping watch some ten meters away. He motioned for Hornet to take them, to which she nodded and prepared to vault up, only to be stopped by struggling from back in the tunnel. Bright rushed out into the light, Kent hot on his tail.

"Please, whoever's there, run! They- they'll kill you," the changed doctor called out, before the man nabbed him again.

Seeing that, the soldierbug stomped at the floor, revealing it to be a lift that quickly began to rise with them. Hornet leapt on the platform and dashed for it, but wasn't quick enough and the sentry disappeared up the lift shaft. She looked back, undoubtedly disappointed, as Lembit and Max climbed up.

"They're here! Get into position," they heard the escaped bug's muffled voice shout above.

They were quickly joined by the soldiers, with Kent coming last, pulling along the 'heroic' doctor.

"Sorry, Sir. Didn't think to shoot 'em fast enough," Lane apologized, before glaring at the hostage and his keeper. "Though I wouldn't've even had to, had _you_ properly held onto your bug, Hayes." He started towards them, angrily pointing at the beetle. "And you have some real nerve, _doctor_, considering you betrayed them already and are at _our_ mercy."

The other man defensively got in front of him. "I think I made it clear you won't _touch_ him," he said equally heatedly. "Also, blame me if you want, but not him. You know he's still screwed in the head."

"While I admire your passion, soldier, he's right. Poor bastard's mind's still on their side," Lembit agreed, stepping between them, pleasantly surprised at the redneck's loyalty. He turned to stare down at the cowering bug. "Still, that doesn't mean I'm not disappointed with you, doctor. And I'm aware you won't understand yet, but know that, weren't it for your condition, I _would_ have you hurt. At least you won't have a chance to pull something like that again. You'll be staying back here with Mister Hayes."

He looked towards the soldiers, continuing the plan: "As will you, Smith. I want you on the lookout in case anything comes up those tunnels. Don't come up without my go ahead. The rest of us, we're going up."

"Um, how do we do that," Max asked, pointing up the lift shaft's metal frame. "Elevator's up there."

"That- won't be a problem," Lembit replied, spotting a pair of chains at its side. He approached them, grabbing the one not connected to the weight and pulling on it. As was to be expected, the pull weight was nowhere near light, though nothing too hard for him and soon, the metal platform was right in front of them.

"Lane, Green, you're up first. Take cover and wait for us," the General instructed, getting two nods, as the soldiers stepped on the lift, which then received a kick and started to move again, rising to what must've been ground level, where, after a few moments, it descended from, this time on its own. Lembit, Hornet and Max crammed themselves on, the human delivering another stomp, once more starting up the complex-sounding mechanism that made it all the more strange the bugs so far had only used blades.

* * *

On the way up, he took his mask, adjusting a small dial on the inside and sliding it on. Fear tactics were still very much part of the plan. Nearing the top, he heard his young companions both taking deep, calming breaths, before shielding their eyes, as the station's surface entrance came into view, brightly lit up by ghostly pale, but no less welcome sunlight.

"Woah, is that really how it looks like now," Max asked quietly, peeking at it.

"**Only until we've killed **_**him**_," Lembit whispered back, his now distorted voice causing both bugs to jerk away with alarm. The modulator was working as always. He let out a chuckle and stepped forwards, where the two soldiers were pressed against either side of the doorway out.

He got beside Green. "**Status**?" He didn't want any sentry within earshot to understand, though from the first glance, there didn't seem to be anyone outside the exit.

"Two surrounding the door, just like us," the other man replied, sounding the slightest bit spooked as well. "Likely more around, but ain't sure."

"**Understood**." There definitely were. "**Hornet, you take left, I take right. Soldiers, Max, cover our flanks**," the General dispensed orders, willing his charm not to work. Getting a nod from the halfling, he unsheathed his sword and neared the door.

He stepped out and to the right, where, as Green had told, a normal-sized sentrybug was waiting against the wall, prepared to ambush. However, the human's masked appearance took them off guard, allowing him to effortlessly hit their blade to the side with his, which he then impaled them with, before pulling it out and slashing through their neck. Severed, the head fell, followed by the rest.

"Pinch, _no_," he heard screamed from behind, looking to see Hornet laying into her target, a female by the sound of it, who was desperately blocking her jabs. She finally managed a small counterblow, but didn't go for another, a pair of wings instead springing up from her back that she used to take off. However, the warrior didn't let her get any further, grabbing the fleeing bug's leg.

"Hel-" Hornet yanked the sentry down, right onto her needle. She went stiff, before curling up, dead. As the warrior laid her down, Max and the soldiers joined the two outside, looking at the sight they'd made.

"Sheesh, did you have to go that far, Sir," Green asked, specifically eyeing Lembit's handiwork.

"**An example needs to be effective**," the General replied. "**We've to make them afraid, after all**."

"Hm, does that include the normal bugs-, er, people here," Max asked with a rather accusing tone, to which even Hornet askingly tilted her head at the man.

"**No, because they're all safely inside by now**," he spoke back, annoyed. That was beside the point, not to mention distracting them. "**Now quiet down and watch our six. Hornet, keep with me**." He turned to properly look over the village center, which was much like how the female had described it in the morning, with a single bench and lamppost on an otherwise empty, paved square, encircled by some twelve shell-esque townhouses. There was no sign of Oro, nor any soldierbugs.

Just as the attack group started heading across the clear area, though, there was a faint, but audible and no less frantic-sounding whisper, before a bulkier sentry wielding a shield with their nail jumped out from behind a building to their left, followed by five more emerging to surround them and the square. Hearing his soldiers bring up their guns, Lembit raised his fist so they would hold fire, as a single black hand grabbed onto the shielded, trying to pull them back into cover.

"Captain, get back! You're going to get us killed," the other bug, no doubt the one that'd gotten away in the tunnel, whimpered (just like he was supposed to), but to no seeming avail. "We've to flee, get reinforcements." He stumbled out of cover to try and better grab the leader, catching sight of the stag station's entrance and pointing at it. "L- look at what they did to Pinch and Tesa!"

Now noticing it as well, the captain was visibly taken aback. "You- monsters," he shouted furiously, "monsters and traitors." He pointed his nail towards Hornet. "I am aware you savages know little reason, but I'm not why you'd choose to side with these unholy beasts over bug-kind, to help them do something like that to our noble soldiers."

The halfling inhaled to shout back. "**No need**.** Watch**," Lembit whispered, before, ignoring the female's huff, replying in lieu of her: "**Yet they are and they did and unless you wish to end up like your fallen brother and sister**," he waved at the two dead with his sword, "**you shall surrender and leave this town at once**. **Am I clear**? **I shan't give this chance again**." He stared at the two bugs, waiting to see if that'd been enough. If so, no blood or bullets would've to be shed for now (save maybe 'encouragement' shots).

"Please, Sir, we cannot fight them," the wounded sentry pleaded desperately. "Call off the others and-

"_Quiet_, coward," the Captain snapped, before turning to the invaders. "You think you can simply scare us _true_ fighters away, monster? and we will not leave our king's land, nor his peasants unprotected, right, my sentries?" The surrounding soldierbugs cheered aggressively. "Even if it brings me death, I shall go knowing yours shall soon follow, for no evil can trump our and our great king's good. Even now, we outnumber you."

The General rolled his concealed eyes. While true, it was only by one (he didn't count the wounded) and wouldn't be for much longer. Still, he had to respect the bugs' firm (if fanatic) sense of duty and bravery in the face of something like him, even if he'd hoped it wouldn't be this strong. Nevertheless, because it was, he had to settle on the violent solution. "**You've made your choice, bug**," he boomed, before, with a snap of his still-raised hand, darkly uttering: "**Shoot them**."

There were loud cracks and an electric-sounding blast, as the two soldiers fired on the sentries between the houses, Lane's beam instantly downing one, while Green hit one on his side, but in the pauldron, making them yelp and stumble back.

"_Doma_, scatter," the bug beside them yelled, pulling her companion to cover, as the other sentries too scrambled behind the townhouses, followed by more of the Americans' gunfire, which, however, only managed to hit the buildings, the dust from a few of Green's shots coming from dangerously close to one of the windows.

"**Stop spraying**, **you're going to hit someone inside**," Lembit ordered angrily. "**Just wait**. **They'd come back out soon**." He began eyeing the edge of the square, confident, as said, the sentries would soon reemerge and try to attack. The rest of the group joined him in looking at the 'streets', as they waited, on edge.

All of a sudden, there came racket from a building to their right, on top of which, upon looking, they saw the female sentry that'd saved the other, wings now on show, who then jumped and swiftly flew at the surprised, and thus unprepared, Max.

"Die, filth," she screeched, forcing the hornet on the defensive with rapid swings, one of them landing.

"Max," Hornet shouted, rushing to her friend's aid, as the General held up his hands for the soldiers not to fire, lest they accidentally hit _their_ bugs. There'd have been no reason to, anyway, since the two warriors were clearly moments away from overwhelming the sentry. Suddenly, however, something grey hit the spiderling from the side, throwing her off, allowing their opponent to deal a second blow at Max and bolt away, vanishing between the houses again. Meanwhile, Hornet recovered just in time to deflect another projectile, a rock, glaring towards the sentry that'd emerged to toss them, who too tried to get back to cover, but was felled by a beam from Lane.

He and his fellow soldier turned to watch over the square, as Max stepped to his companion. "You okay," he asked, eyeing at the small tear in her cloak made by the admittedly quite good throw.

"It was a single stone, Max. I'm well" the warrior replied, herself looking at the scratches the hornet had suffered. "Really, I should ask that of you."

"Don't worry. Her hits weren't very strong. I'm good," the male assured, patting one of the new lines on his shell. "Heck, I've had it much worse today already. Though I should've stopped _her_ before she got away." He glanced at where the sentry had fled, then Lembit. "So, what do we do next?"

"Yes, Lembit," Hornet spoke as well, arms crossed, "do we press our advantage or stay and keep waiting for them to come assault us here."

The General could clearly see which of the ideas she was for and had to admit she was right. While the open area did give them a bit of an advantage, especially with their guns, the soldierbugs had proved smart enough to take them by surprise and to get close even here. Though there were only four left, they could've easily gone for the other humans next, who, despite the reacquired body armor, were still much less resistant than the rest of them.

Better to take the fight to the enemy.

"**Fine, I hear you**," he said. "**Let me just-**" Working out exactly how they'd do it, he scanned around, quickly spotting a stone well just outside the town that Hornet had told was an entrance to the kingdom below, even looking to be built up for easier access. In other words, an escape route. "**Alright**.** Lane**,** I want you to make sure none of them get in that well**." He pointed it out. "**The rest of us**, **let's hunt**."

* * *

So, while the 'crystal-gun' wielding American sprinted for his post, the remaining four headed between the mound-shaped buildings from the same place the female had flown, all of them on the highest alert. For a while at first, the group didn't run into anyone, although Lembit heard faint whimpering from one of the homes they went. Then, as they were passing another, a sentry suddenly rushed from behind it, the dent on his pauldron showing he was the one Green had shot, trying to slash at the human in question, only to be blocked by Max. Instead of attacking again, however, the enemy bug darted back whence he'd jumped out, prompting the two men and hunterbugs to give chase.

Although clearly slower than them, even more so with his hurt shoulder, the male was still nimble enough to dodge their nail (or sword) jabs and even a shot from the trooper, as he lead them (it was obvious) on. Finally, he turned to run straight at a larger house near the town's edge, letting Green land a burst in his back. The sentry fell meters away from the feet of his captain, who stood in front of the big building, with the two other remaining females beside it.

"Halt, creatures," he shouted, to which the General, then the others, complied out of curiosity for what he'd try to do. "I must admit you lot are more vicious than I foolishly believed." He looked at the fresh corpse. "Already you've robbed from three more of us their service to our king. Even so, you shan't have this day, for our ruler has eyes even up here, as well as means to deal with you himself." With that, he got out the door's way, behind which sounded heavy steps.

Before it even burst open, Lembit already sensed what was inside, swiftly pulling Hornet with him behind the nearest house and frantically motioning for Max to also get to cover.

"**Stay there and stay quiet**," he spoke once the boy had done so, as there was crashing of wood. He then turned to Green, who was still in the open. "**Kill that thing**!"

The soldier nodded and shot a couple of rounds, before stopping. "What the-," he mouthed with a confused look, much to the General's own, whom he looked back at. "Sir, I- Look at it." Allowing himself a peek, the man was met with the sight of a pale construct standing in the 'street', its metal plates having moved to entirely cover its front, making it immobile, but bulletproof and ensuring it was clear, even if he couldn't _feel _it, it was being directly controlled by the king. Just then, the arms behind the armor moved and launched the constructs' signature scythe, which Green narrowly dodged, landing next to Max.

They had to destroy this thing before _he _recognized them and quickly. Getting an idea how, he sheathed his sword.

"**Green, I need you to distract 'im as well as you can."**

* * *

**THE PALE KING**

* * *

The higher being chuckled to himself, feeling the majority of His focus fully seep into the Kingsmould above in Dirtmouth. In hindsight, He most probably should have positioned it outside to better watch over his subjects there, having, in reality, figured His sentries to be enough and settled on it standing guard at their station. Perhaps then, so many of his devoted, revering soldiers wouldn't have perished, noticeably stunting His powers' growth. Natheless, that no longer mattered, for they'd be avenged in short order.

He caught the returning claw-blade, glaring at where its target, the human sentry, had stood.

Their survival was quite an unpleasant surprise, as was them by some means reattaining the items He'd had taken to the Teacher's Archive. Between this resilience and the imprisoned, astray elder who yet refused to give into His light, wholly bringing their kind to it would take _slightly_ more effort than He'd thought. Not to mention, according to his loyal guards, the soldiers were accompanied by at least two tribalbugs, showing that the defiant savages had some fight left, despite being desperate enough to ally with such foreign creatures. That too was of little matter, however, as like their allies, the lesser bugs would now be crushed, hopefully staying the final true setback to the god in His own kingdom.

Then, He'd continue on with whittling down the wills of the human army in Elsewhere, until they finally went against those leaders keeping them and come to Him for enlightenment, bolstering His ranks and growth, so naught else could truly stop Him.

Firstly, though, He'd end _these _humans, beginning with the lone one, who now came back into view, before firing his weapon at His construct again. The Pale King let out another laugh. The fool still thought it'd have any result like in the town! Truly, it was no less than genius this idea of His to realign the pale ore armor covering the tamed Void inside, so that they entirely protected it from the front. Perhaps if He'd come up with it sooner, more of His 'extensions' would've survived in the des-

_No_! Now was not a time for any negativity. Even while the moved plates left it too unstable to move, it wasn't a concern, as, aside being a vessel for Him, the Kingsmould served as little more than a diversion here. The human's weapon may have been powerful, but he was still one against three. He threw the claw-blade once more.

"_Do you_ _see how powerless this wretch is before me, my soldiers_," He spoke through the construct, watching the male in question avoid the weapon. "_Now make use of my distraction and kill the-_"

All of a sudden, the god felt a jolt of painful energy, as all went dark and silent. Then, His senses returned to the White Palace's throne room, His own body. Frantically He tried to regain connection to the Kingsmould, but it quickly became obvious it was destroyed, which angered Him greatly. Damn those treacherous creatures! In His certainty, He hadn't wondered the others' whereabouts, nor realized that, while excellently shielded from the front, the construct's back was vulnerable.

However, that wasn't the only reason for the higher being's agitation. It was clear His creation had been undone with another gun, yes, but the shot had also contained energy He hadn't felt since facing- No, it couldn't have been! Those godless creatures were likely all issued ammunition of that tainted substance. Although why hadn't he felt it from _any_ other soldier so far? And why hadn't His scholars reported it as a finding from the equipment? Still, there was no way it was _him_. That _obstacle_ was long claimed by the Abyss. No, there _had_ to be another explanation.

Even so, Dirtmouth and its guards were now without His direct guidance and presence, leaving it in much greater danger. However, that didn't mean it lost, as He brought his focus up there, feeling his worshipping subjects' fear and the sentries' wavering will.

To them, he said: "_Fight on_. _More troops shall soon come_."

However many of those against Him were up there, they _would_ be dealt with and He knew precisely who to send. It'd be his test as a great knight and hopefully make him a true local hero. He looked to the strengthened bug, beckoning him to approach.

"_Foul things are happening_," he began,_ "Dirtmouth, your home, is being attacked by savages and other enemies to the kingdom. They've slain many of the guards there and threaten all the other bugs as well, including those who revere you already. They must be stopped and you shall do so and become legendary to the whole town! So go forth, my Grey Knight, and make haste through the stagways! For Hallownest!_

Orders received, the knight nodded and bowed, before rushing out the throne room door. The Pale King hummed. He'd been surprisingly silent.

* * *

**JUSS**

* * *

The collapsed remains of the construct behind him, Lembit stared down the sentry Captain, behind whom his companions were battling against the others, the three of them having used the distraction provided by Green to quickly slip around the buildings and ambush.

He chambered the next round into his rifle-pistol.

There'd been a lot to consider in taking down the controlled construct. Him or Max doing it had been out of the question, since the Pale King would have definitely recognized them and, while he'd have done so eventually, the human didn't want it happening with the battle still going on. He also hadn't been sure Hornet would have gone unnoticed or if her needle would've ended the 'mould fast enough. In the end, the best option had been the gun. Though its ammo too was 'distinct', the king's lack of knowledge about humans left the benefit of a doubt, that, which was needed.

Now, it was done and 'twas time to be done with the remaining enemy bugs, who even the man could see hadn't taken the destruction of their glorious leader's avatar well. Despite it, the Captain stepped towards him, nail and shield readied.

"**Why do you keep fighting, bug**," he smugly asked the sentry, though it really impressed him. "**Haven't we proven enough how pointless it is?**"

"Nay, for it isn't and shan't be," the bug argued back, his shaky tone gaining in firmness. "I told you, creature, even if we die, you _won't_ have this day. Already our king sends reinforcements that will soon arrive to crush you. Until then, however-" He yelled and charged. Without enough time or patience to reach for his sword, the General nimbly grabbed the attacker's nail-arm mid-swing, before pushing the pistol aside his shield and pulling the trigger.

He tossed the dead bug aside and looked ahead to see Hornets opponent, the female that'd evaded them before, fall before her. Max's, however, managed to kick at him and used it to start flying away, so as to save the boy further trouble, Lembit took aim and shot again, instantly killing the sentry. With that over with, the two bugs turned to rejoin the human, who was pretty sure the hornet's eyes had narrowed.

"Sorry for stealing the kill," he apologized to the bug, having taken off his mask. "I just wanted to be done with it."

"Don't worry, is nothing," Max said, though clearly without meaning it. "So, we did it, right? We can get to, uh, saving the people here?" Hornet too gained an asking look.

"Negative," the General replied, as Green too reached them. "The king still knows there's an attack here. He's sending backup." The force would likely be more than ten sentries, as well as a fair few constructs strong. "Also, we still have one more sentry to deal with, remember?"

As if on que, there was clattering from the building the Kingsmould had burst out of.

The soldier ran off to warn the others of the impending counterattack, while the three remaining entered the house, finding themselves in a room with a desk, chair and a set of shelves, under which cowered the sentry, clutching his hurt arm. Lembit stepped over, pityingly looking down at him.

"You alerted the king through that thing, didn't you," he asked, getting a slight nod from the shaking bug.

"H- how did you best it, best our king through it," he stuttered. "How did you best us, his great hand?"

"Because we're better than you, in morals and strength," the human said softly. "Now don't worry, you won't even feel it." He readied another shot and raised his gun.

"_Wait_," Max spoke up, making him stop and look back. "Do you have to do this, uh, Sir? He can't do anything, can't we just lock him up?"

"Max is right," Hornet added, arms crossed, "he is disarmed, defenseless. Killing him would be both dishonorable and pointless."

Lembit sighed. They were getting doubts. It was understandable and, thankfully, easily fixed. "He is still our enemy," he began, fully turning to the young bugs, "and to answer your question, Max, no. We don't have a place to put him, nor time to find one good enough. Even wounded, he could easily escape while we're fending off the king's attack, sabotage us. Not to mention what I've told you: his devotion too adds to the king's power."

"But he's just one-"

"Yes, but with who he is, that makes a difference," the man interrupted, looking towards the bug, who stared back. "After all, he is one of the hundred the Pale King chose to have with him in the White Palace for all that time. That's got to mean something. Trust me, I've faced these sorts of soldiers before. They'll die in their leaders' name, sometimes even after they're gone. And we can't just _fix_ their minds like we will the others'. If we keep him prisoner, after we've defeated the king, he might still not be peaceful and be forced to stay so the rest of his life. It's best if we kill him here, for his sake."

"Y- yes, I- was chosen, f- for my loyalty, my love for him," the sentry croaked, wearily pushing himself to his feet, before grabbing a dagger off one of the shelves with his good hand, proclaiming: "I- I am a soldier of the king and I will die in his name!" He swung with it.

"He's no longer disarmed either," Lembit stated, blocking the hand and delivering a strong kick that launched the bug back against the wall, then raised his gun again.

He pulled the trigger, but in place of that familiar blaster-esque *pew*, they heard a somewhat distant, but no less loud crash.

"What was _that_," the hornet shouted, looking back outside, from where the sound had come.

* * *

Leaving the dead soldier to his peace, the three ran out and towards the direction of the crash, quickly reaching the town's middle, where they looked ahead to see the well-passage broken and surrounded by dust, a large, caped figure of a bug standing in front of it, with Lane knocked down a couple meters away.

Green rushed out of the stag station's entrance, rifle readied. "Sir, what happened? Are they here already?" The General nodded, waving towards the newcomer, who now appeared slouched over.

"I, the mighty Grey Knight Zote, have just used my incredible speed to run faster than any bug has and demand you curs let me rest," he (clearly) declared, heaving. "But celebrate not, for after I'm rested, I will slay all you curs with my unstoppable Life Ender and save this town in the name of the-" He was cut off by being hit with a beam from Lane, who'd gotten back up. However, the previously lethal laser only seemed to slightly hurt the 'Grey Knight', besides visibly angering him. "You dare attack the great Zote, beast," the big bug boomed, to which he received another blast, causing him to cry out and swing widely with his fittingly-sized nail, hitting the man off his feet again.

Before the warrior could finish him off, Green shot a burst, which appeared to do even less than the beams, but got the bug's attention, letting the other soldier start crawling away.

"Hah! You think your shooty thing is a match for my twice indestructible shell," Zote yelled, pointing at the four in the town with his weapon. "Now perish like most others who face me!" He took off towards them.

"Stand aside, soldier," Lembit calmly said, reequipping his mask and holstering his gun, before reaching for the sword. "**We'll handle this**."

"Wait, I recognize that bug," spoke Hornet. "He wandered the caves when Ghost was yet a bug, trying to challenge Infected beasts by their example. He was far from this large, however."

"**Must've been 'improved' by the king, then**," thought the human, starting to feel just how much of the higher being's energy the bug radiated, which, while strengthening him, would likely also make him vulnerable against Max. "**Now let's kill him. I'll take him head on, you attack the sides**."

Hearing two grunts of agreement, he unsheathed his sword, as they stood prepared for the quickly approaching bug. Just as the knight was about to reach them, though, he suddenly lost balance, stumbling forward and slamming into the ground hard, which caused an unnatural, pale shockwave that Lembit barely braced for, but not his companions, whom it pushed back. As abruptly as he'd fallen, Zote then jumped back up, bringing his nail, the 'Life ender', down on the human. He blocked, noticing it was made of wood, as well as fairly blunt, most of the would-be damage coming from the strong swing. Still, he managed to direct it aside.

"What? You fought off my mighty attack," exclaimed the bug in surprise, the Generals starting to find his attitude a bit annoying. "No, only someone like the king can beat the great likes of me!"

"**Would his daughter suffice**," Lembit asked back, glimpsing, as the scarlet cloaked warrior dashed at the knight, delivering a few jabs to his shell, which actually did seem quite thick, "**or her love, for example**?" The hornet in question attacked the other side, his slashes, as expected, making their opponent jerk and yelped with pain.

"You curs, I'll show you! Prepare to meet your ends," he shouted, arching back his nail-hand for another wide slash that the human prepared to parry and counter with a blow of his own. However, after the swing had passed over Max, who'd crouched to dodge, he lost control of it, then his balance, causing him to _accidentally_ kick at Hornet, before falling towards Max, which definitely would've crushed him, had Lembit not pulled him out the way. The touchdown caused another shockwave, this time pushing all of them back, allowing Zote to rise once again.

"Hah, my genius maneuver is successful! You hopeless curs might as well give up before I do something like that again."

"T'was no more than blind luck," huffed Hornet with annoyance, mirroring Lembit's feelings.

"**Yes, it was**," he agreed darkly. Really, he was surprised the king had 'blessed' someone this _unprofessional_, much less made them into a knight. At least he seemed to have a sense of duty, if mixed with arrogance. Those weren't going to save him, though. "**Won't stop us**."

"Yeah, let's keep at him," said Max, irked as well, to his and hers agreement.

Before they could start back towards the king's knight, he'd already made it to them, forcing them on the defensive, parrying his half-aimed swings. Hornet and Max both began dealing counterattacks, but could only land a few and far between, having to avoid the opponent's blows, the brunt of which only Lembit could and did take, with it soon starting to get to him. The large bug's unpredictable, at times downright baffling moves made it hard for the human to fully keep track of what was happening, serving to frustrate him even further.

At some point, he and the bugs at least managed to properly surround Zote, giving them the advantage. It didn't last long, though, as the egoistic knight suddenly leaped up, which already pushed them away, before coming crashing back down, limbs flailing. The ensuing pale wave was taller than the two previous and took a good bit of strength for even Lembit to withstand, with Max and Hornet standing no chance and being slammed further back, the male coming down especially hard.

"Max!" The warrior jumped up and rushed to check on her friend, leaving the General to face the infuriatingly _anti-skilled_ bug alone for the time being.

"Had enough of my mighty mightiness yet, creature," he taunted, dealing a straight slash for once. "Everything facing Zote gets slain eventually!"

"**Everything has exceptions,**" the human growled back, parrying it. "**Now shut up and fight proper**!" The bug did no such thing and went back to flailing his nail, making him keep on the defensive, as to not get overwhelmed. His opponent then started overreaching his blows, forcing the man to retreat even quicker, hoping he'd tire soon. This went on until they'd reached in front of another house, where the 'knight' once again whiffed his blow, stumbling forward, though so quickly this time that Lembit couldn't dodge and was slammed to the ground. Zote, meanwhile, recovered, placing a foot his _stomach_ (he couldn't even get that right) and bringing his nail above his head.

"Another foe is bested by Zote the Mighty, as will all you others," he loudly declared, pressing down on the still-living human, who raised his own blade to get the bug off. However, he didn't have to, as the already familiar sound of the crystal-gun rang out, making Zote yell and turn around, stepping off Lembit. Getting up, he looked to see Lane aim another shot. This time, though, something went wrong and instead of a beam, only a bang sounded, followed by pink shards falling out the modded gun, much to its owner's audibly dismay.

The General couldn't pay much more mind to it, however, attempting to impale Zote's back, which turned out to be just as unnaturally strong as the front. The bug let out another roar, turning around.

"Cur of a beast, how dare you become undefeated by me?"

"**You do half the work and expect a full result**," the man asked back, sweating bullets under his mask. This couldn't go on for much longer. Thankfully, the knight was also starting show tiredness, only added to, when Hornet struck him from behind, before slipping to Lembit's side.

"I'm sorry for the delay, but Max truly needed help," she quickly informed. "Although hopefully, he'd join us soon."

"**He'd better**," the human replied angrily. If he didn't, he was going to use his magic, no longer caring if it revealed him. "**We'll continue without him for now**."

"Yes, you'll continue to be made deader by the Life Ender," Zote loudly added, waving the thing around.

"Yeah, go get them, mister Zote," a high-pitched voice suddenly cheered for him from the building at their side, making all of them look to see two identical short bugs peeking from behind it. While the small stature could've been questioned, with the various local species and all, the voice made it unmistakable.

"Younglings, out here," Hornet spoke with surprise, making the little ones shrink back. Lembit nodded, remembering there had been one family in Elsewhere with kids this young, the Johnsons, who'd gotten taken and changed in the very first 'batch' alongside Max. The two must've snuck out when they heard Zote, out into this still-active warzone. That couldn't stand.

"**Not for long**," he said, threateningly raising his sword towards them. "**You, little ones, get back inside, **_**now**_!"

However, before the younglings could get back to safety, Zote spoke up: "Do not listen to this cur, my little students. He doesn't want you to witness how greatly I shall cut them down."

"Mister Zote's right, Mason," one of the twins audibly whispered to the other, before shouting: "We're not gonna listen to you, monster."

"Uh-huh," the second agreed, then cheered himself: "Kick their behinds, Mister Zote."

"That I shall, but before I do, can you two go call fair Bretta outside? I want her too to see me prevail over the curs," the 'knight' instructed, as Lembit stared on in utter disbelief, "and since I'm the Pale King's knight now, you'll call me Sir Zote."

"We will, Sir Zote," both twins affirmed, stepping out from the cover of their house. For the human, this crossed the line.

"**You're staying right there**," he shouted, his hand flashing aglow, to which harmless bursts of yellow swept the small bugs of their feet. Completely enraged, he then looked at Zote. "**What is **_**wrong**_** with you**?"

Any potential respect he might've had for the sorry excuse of a bug was gone. The utter lack of skill and reliance on luck, plus his enhanced strength in battle were _very_ irksome, but his rush to defend Dirtmouth had been commendable. Now it was clear he did it and cared for nothing other than renown, letting fucking _children_ under his protection into possible danger for more of it. And the fact that the Pale King had just given him knighthood and this blessed strength was no less than an insult to even warriors like Oro, who'd spent years gaining his title, not to mention many other fighters the man had met.

"Wrong? Zote the Mighty is too great to have anything wrong and you'll regret sa-"

"**Shut the **_**fuck**_** up**," the General lividly cut him off, his sword starting to gain a yellow hue. "**You're a fucking disgrace**!"

"Lembit-," Hornet began, being stopped by Max finally arriving, nail in hand.

"Sorry, my head got hit pretty bad," he apologized, "but I'm here now. Let's get 'im already." However, he and the halfling were both pushed back by a pulse of gold.

"**No, stay back. He's **_**mine**_," the human growled. He stepped towards Zote, feeling his steps singe the ground, as his now fully active magic temporarily nulled his tiredness.

"Yes, come, cur, so Life Ender may end you for those insults," slurred the bug, slashing forward with the blunt stick. Giving no reply, Lembit swiftly raised his sword to meet it, the pale strength no longer a match for his, before pushing it and its owner back. Not allowing the enemy time to react, he followed up with multiple hard blows, the ancient blade leaving behind trails of yellow. Trying to fight back, Zote stuck out his nail, only for it to be hit and break in an explosion of splinters.

"Life Ender! You broke my Life Ender!"

"**And** **you're next**," the man snarled, grappling him so he couldn't turn tail and dealing a wide slash across his chest, before skewering the insect with such force he fell onto his back. However, that wasn't enough. No, no, no, _far_ from it. His right hand's light intensifying, Lembit got on top of him and began pounding at him with it, all the while shouting: "**Pompous piece of shit! Uncaring, moronic waste of air! You're as low as your damned king**!"

He stopped punching, instead grabbing onto Zote's neck, through which he touched at the Pale King's energy, so if he hadn't seen him already, he _definitely_ would now. Then, ignoring any background noise, he spoke: "**I see you choose your servants so they're selfish like yourself, but that's to be expected from your kind**." He chuckled angrily. "**That's right, I live, **_**she **_**does as well. And Dirtmouth is just the beginning. We will take your kingdom and we will save your followers until you've neither left and then we will kill you and her order will last longer than yours ever did**."

Breathing harshly, he let go of the neck, its owner trying to drag himself away. "**I'm- not done with you**."

Before he could lay into the bug again, however, there was a loud yell of: "Hyu-man!"

Lembit turned to see Hornet glare back with her needle pointed at him, with Max behind her in a wary stance. "_**What**_**, what is it**," he asked irately, while noticing just how horrific his voice sounded. He also realized how hot he was, making him basically rip the mask off his drenched face, letting fresh (strangely cool) air onto it, before pulling the top of his coat open. In doing so, he caught sight of the changed kids on the side, who were both shaking like leaves, cowering where they'd fallen.

"Please get up, Sir Zote. You gotta fight the monster," one of them cried, drawing his attention to the unmoving bug, whose mask had a crack across it, then to his right fist, which was covered by charred leather remains, signifying _another_ glove wasted.

"'What _is_ it'," the halfling seethingly repeated, waving her hand at the human. "Look at what you've just done! Are you intelligent creature or mere beast?"

"I-," the man stuttered, genuinely so. He'd lost his composure for the second time this day, even worse than the first time. He'd gone mental, with the others present no less. Standing up, he sorrily looked back at the furious Hornet.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

**HORNET**

* * *

"I'm sorry," the hyu-man apologised simply, standing before the warrior and saying nothing more.

"You're s_orry_?" This was far from sufficient for her. "After all that, you're merely sorry?" She still couldn't fully believe what he'd done. And to think the attack had gone so well at first, so she'd just gone along with what he'd ordered of her and while his killing of the wounded sentry had discomforted, she'd understood its necessity. She'd herself also become quite angered towards Zote, the oafish flailing he spoke of as if they were maneuvers, his shameful behavior, including with the bugs he'd claimed to defend. Still, even that shouldn't have warranted such brutality from the General. To her, it was like the times Max had awakened his instinctual rage. She couldn't stand it "After that beastly display?" And how he'd spoken during it. "After you broke your promise?"

"Yes, I'm sorry," the male replied with a sigh, looking down. "I'm sorry I lost my composure and that you all had to see it." He glanced up at Hornet. "And I'm sorry for breaking my promise and saying such things with you right here. Now please, Hornet, we're allies, friends even. Just lower your weapon."

Yet the female kept it firmly raised. "You truly think I'll let this by so lightly? You broke your promise. Prove I can still trust you."

"Oh come on," the hyu-man spoke, his tone now annoyed. "I said I was sorry, since I _am_. What else do you want me to do here? We're on the same side against the king. There's more important things to deal with.

"He's right. Besides, I kinda broke my promise in Deepnest and you were okay with that," Max reminded from behind, which the warrior had to admit was true. Sighing, she let down her blade. Honestly, what _would_ she have him do like this?

"Very well, I shall trust you, _hyu-man_, but perish the thought that I'll blindly go along with everything you tell anymore," she said sternly, alluding to the General's angry speech to the king, which'd served to remind her of the unwanted heirdom she'd for a while been able to forget.

"What do- Oh, you mean that," Lembit uttered, before starting: "Listen, Hornet, we both know you'll have to become ruler when he's gone. When that is, I'm going to guide you, since I care for you and have experience in those things. Do you understand?" Hornet didn't feel much more confident, but nodded. "Try not to think of those things for now. He's not dead yet. Though we've to get to freeing his victims' memories." He glanced at the surrounding dwellings.

"Begin with them, perhaps," Hornet offered, pointing at the little pill bugs, who were still curled up in fear and rightfully so, considering what they'd bore witness to.

"No, sadly. They're too you-"

He was cut off by the adjacent building's back door flying open. "-hey must've snuck through here," a panicked voice said, as two adult pill bugs, clearly the parents, rushed out and to the younglings, cradling them. "What were you thinking? Didn't you hear the sentries about the danger?"

"Mother, father, the monsters, they hurt Sir Zote," one of the twins whimpered, pointing the hyu-man's and Hornet's way. The workbugs looked and both screamed, cowering with their young.

"They're old enough," sighed Juss, before starting for the bugs, much to their further terror. He crouched down in front of them, raising his hand, which lit aglow under its ruined garment, and waved it over the male. "Hm, I thought as much. Luckily, you're here." He looked back at the warrior. "Hornet, I'm going to need your help here."

The female didn't move, however, yet feeling trepidation at listening to the hyu-man's orders.

He noticed this. "Hornet, please."

After a few more moments' delay, she realized less good would come from this hatchlingish waiting and approached, _though_ _not for him, but for Max's unfortunate townsfolk_.

"How is it I am needed, then," she queried, sitting down beside Lembit.

"The Pale King's energy is different from my Keeper ancestors' and mine. If I'm to effectively get rid of the restrictions he set in these peoples' minds, I need someone who has at least some," he explained, "like you." He offered Hornet his off-hand, which she, though warily, took hold of, to which his other hand's glow became pale. They then looked at the male pill bug, causing him to shrink back.

"Please, w- we're j- just builders for the kingdom. Leave us be."

"I am here for your good, Mister Johnson, though this won't be painless," the hyu-man spoke heavily, before turning to Hornet. "Brace yourself."

She did so as well as she could, keeping herself firm, as the General raised his glowing hand to the fearful bug's head, touching it. The male let out a pained howl, as her vision was enveloped by white. Alarmed, she tried to look around, only to suddenly find herself standing in a large, lit cave, seemingly featureless save for strange apparitions hovering around in the distance.

"What is this," she asked to herself, feeling the slightest bit scared.

"Your perception of another's mind. Likely different from how I see it," came echoingly from her side, where she saw the General, with the pill bug huddled on the ground before him. "Looks quite barren, doesn't it." Hornet gave a nod. "King's fault. Just look at what it's reduced him to.

"Let me go, please. I just want back to my boys, my work. Oh, help me, dear king," the bug in question whimpered, indeed looking pitiful. He then pointed at something, exclaiming fearfully: "What is that?" Looking over, Hornet saw a cage seemingly made of Pale Ore chains, inside of which stood a figure very similar in stature and looks to Lembit, another hyu-man. Confused as well, she askingly turned to the male.

"The _rest _of him," he spoke, stepping towards it. "What we'll set free."

"How," the warrior thought to ask.

"Simply hitting the barrier should destroy it," explained her apparently experienced companion. "The king never thought anyone would be able to get in here, so he didn't complicate the defenses." He then waved towards the chains, to which Hornet nodded, gripping her needle and attacking them. Contrary to real pale ore, these gained cracks after only a few strikes, giving away following a couple more and shattering into a great amount of shards. To Hornet's surprise, however, she wasn't met with the hyu-man she'd glimpsed, but the male pill bug. Glancing back, the crying mass on the ground was gone.

"I- I remember," she then heard his voice say, returning her attention to the freed, then to the cave around, which had filled with apparitions, some of them close enough for her to see they were truly images, memories, it seemed.

"Then we're done here," spoke Lembit, taking hold of the female's shoulder, causing her to once again see white.

Shaking her head, she found herself sitting back in Dirtmouth. Even so, she could still feel the strain from breaking the chains. In front of her, the male workbug was staring at his hands.

"I was- I'm a _bug_," he uttered, before turning to his partner. "Sandra, sweetie, I remember who we are, what happened to us."

"What do you mean you remember," the female cried back, then turned to the warriors. "What did you do to him?"

"The same we'll do to you, Missis," Lembit said. "Fear not, Mister Johnson, we'll restore your wife's memories next." He held out his hand, which Hornet again accepted, readying herself.

The hyu-man touched the female's forehead, making her cry out and, with a flash of white, they were within her mind. Other than a few differences in rock shape, it was just as barren as her male's had been. No longer slowed by a need for explanations, Hornet quickly began freeing her mind. About halfway through, however, she wondered why she had to do it on her own and asked Lembit, who said his 'different' energy was to blame, demonstrating with a swing of his greatnail, which phased through the chains with no effect. Understanding, the halfling finished the job, getting a glimpse of the released memories, before they returned to the real world.

Coming to, she saw the female hugging the male, crying, as the latter looked to her and the hyu-man.

"I cannot thank you enough, Sir and, uh, whoever you are," he spoke. "Please, I know it'll hurt, but if you'd just save our younglings from that _thing's_ hold."

"I'm sorry, but I can't. Their minds are young and this sort of attack is still intense. I can't risk damaging them," Lembit replied solemnly. "Maybe sometime in the future, but for now, you'll have to try and make them understand yourself."

Mister Johnson gave a shaky nod, as the two fighters stood up and turned back to the village center, being met with Max and all three hyu-man sentries, as well as Kent and his captive scholar's apprentice, who must've also come up from the stag station.

"I see you're all here," Lembit spoke. "Good, 'cause while the battle is over, there's still work to be done. Lane, give your charm to Kent. I want you to go through the houses and bring everyone out here. Threaten them if you have to, but do _not_ hurt them." He looked to the others. "You two, Max, I want you to pick up the dead bugs and their nails, take them somewhere outside the town and dig them a _proper_ grave. We, for one, honor the dead, no matter their side."

He let out a sigh. "Hornet and I will help the changed humans here remember."

* * *

Exchanging a longing glance with the halfling, the hornet walked off with the soldiers, leaving her to restore 'doctor' Bright's mind with Lembit. The process didn't differ from the two previous and she was soon back in Dirtmouth to see a few local bugs had already been concentrated to the village square, most of them familiar to her, with more being brought in. Seeing their looks of fear, as well as confusion upon seeing her, she could only look down. A young female beetle she took it was Bretta screamed when she saw the felled, yet somehow still live Zote, whose limbs had been tied with found rope that the General had also enchanted. Overall, it felt miserable, especially with Max away.

Still, the tactic worked, as Kent recognized three more changed hyu-mans, who Hornet and Lembit got started with. However, having released the second one, a cicada named Mister Richardson, the female at last realized how exhausted she was. Exhausted from the morning trek to Deepnest and the trials there (even with the respite at the Hot Spring afterwards), exhausted from the rush up the Nest and the stagway, exhausted from the battle with the sentries and the lengthy, frustrating one against Zote and finally, from setting free the minds of the hyu-mans.

It was too much.

With weaker blows, she released the remaining female's memories, before waking and, without saying much to the others, leaving them and the townsbugs, whom Lembit had begun giving an explanatory speech to. Staggering between the lamp-lit houses, with the Sun having sunk behind the cliffs, she was mainly lead by her subconscious, ultimately reaching a familiar cottage. Looking over its inside, it appeared to have been used by one of the sentries, a King's Idol on the table.

She'd have to get rid of it later.

For now, the spiderling stumbled to the bed she hadn't seen since the day all this had begun, collapsing onto it, not bothering with the covers. Just as she was about to fall into slumber, the cloth at the door moved audibly.

"You mind if I sleep here too," a drowsy voice asked, its striped owner looking towards her.

"Not at all, Max." She forced herself to make room. After all, their previous rest together had been cut off.

* * *

**Hornet at the end of this chapter is me. It's 3:20 and the next day will be an off day for sure. **

**This chaper sure is something, not something too good, though. I wanted to make the milestone nice and long, but to me it feels drawn out, especially since I wanted to put a Max part at the end and just couldn't Don't worry tho. That'll come in the next chapter, which, like last time, will be a small interlude, though with some important stuff happening as well.**

**I hope I captured the spirit of the Zote fight well. Of course I couldn't include Zotelings, since that woulda been too ewy, but everything else should be fine. I also hope the way Juss went mental on him was believable, as well as Hornet's counter-reaction. Important things here.**

**For now, R&R**


	35. Fears in the Night

Interlude 3: Fears in the Night

* * *

**MAX**

* * *

Streching, as he stifled a yawn, the hornet followed Green and Smith back into Dirtmouth, the three having spent over half an hour dragging the many slain bugs (whose armor made them pretty heavy) and their nails out to the town's graveyard, where they'd then started digging the huge grave the General had ordered. The work hadn't been easy, owing to the rocky ground, as well as their lack of any tools other than nails and the sentry Captain's shell, causing it to drag on until the Sun had gone behind the mountains, at which point the soldiers had decided to call it a day and finish tomorrow lest they'd have to labor for the whole night, with Green sticking the lantern he'd gotten in the stagway into the ground to keep beasts away from the corpses before they went.

Max had mixed feelings about the whole thing. On one hand, it felt both nice and right to respect the dead, enemy or not, especially when he remembered the ditch in the mantises' village Hornet had told about. On the other, working on it had meant almost no contact with the female since the battle aside a few glances when collecting the bodies and that sucked, as she'd looked pretty sad then, which he maybe could've helped. Neatness aside, it also felt like Juss had partly called for the mass grave, so the townsbugs wouldn't have to see the dead sentries, as well as to make up for what'd happened with that clumsy-as-heck knight they'd fought.

Seriously, he had gone freaking ballistic on the big bug, beating him down so furiously even the young male had been disturbed, not to mention Hornet, who'd, in turn, yelled at the man and ultimately needed calming down as well. Honestly, her reaction reminded Max of the one she'd had when his instincts had first driven him into a rage, making him see the similarities between the happenings. Now a part of him even worried that it might've happened to him _again_ today if the 'mighty Zote' had gone after him like he'd done to the General.

At least the latter was no longer angry, having currently climbed atop the stag station's entrance and looking down onto the townsbugs, both natives and the changed folk from Elsewhere (all of whose memories he and Hornet must've magicked back by now), gathered in front of it, with Kent and Lane leaning against the wall, the latter showing his laser-gun, which'd just exploded and stopped working during the battle, to the mind-restored doc Bright, who still seemed weirdly younger.

Getting closer, though, the hornet couldn't spot a certain halfling anywhere, not with them, nor the crowd, worrying him a bit, considering how down she had looked earlier. He kept after the soldiers, as they joined the rest of the humans (to the bugs' visible discomfort), intent on asking where she was, as well as something else, from the General, who'd unfortunately just started loudly speaking to the bugs below.

"Foremost, I thank you all for your peaceful cooperation; it's saved us a lot of time." His voice was firm, no longer nightmarishly garbled by his mask. Jeez, had that been freaky. "Now, my name is General Juss, a human, and I, along with the others of my kind you see, come from beyond what you call the Howling Cliffs. I am aware a good number of you are likely nervous and confused, but I assure we mean you bugs no harm. However, the same I cannot say for Hallownest or its monster of a ruler." This prompted shocked murmurs from the few locals.

"_Quiet_. Some among you already know his evil, personally even, but to those native to here, I'll do my best to explain." The human then launched into a fairly unlengthy, but not too vague summary of the Pale King's invasion of Elsewhere and what he'd done to the people captured there, bringing a noticeable amount of attention to just how much the constructs and 'masking' had hurt them. His words were followed by more whispers of disbelief, but also anger and not all of it towards the king.

Juss raised a hand, making them fall silent again. "I understand this may be hard to accept, but it _is_ true. If you do not believe my word, simply ask your _newer_ neighbors," he continued. "In regard to the Pale King, for his crimes against humanity, we are working to and _will_ depose him. However, don't worry that you'll be left without a ruler afterwards. There's already a bug who will- do her _best_ to take that place and ensure your livelihoods."

Max looked at the ground, sighing. Until the man's rant earlier, he had forgotten that Hornet would have to become ruler once this was over and now he kind of wished it'd stayed like that. T'wasn't fair. Still, like with everything else, he'd support her with it. First, though, he had to let the human finish.

"Finally, to those once my species. Even with your memories restored, I'm sure it's clear that your lives, well, they're going to be different from now. All I can ask you is, once the rest of the kingdom and your old townspeople are liberated, you live them as well as you can, nothing else. Now, all of you are permitted to move around the town if you wish to, but I must ask you do not leave it. Other than that, you are dismissed." There wasn't much of a response from the crowd, though it didn't seem the General had expected any, as he didn't wait to climb down from the roof. Back on the ground, he caught his breath against the station wall, before turning towards Max, Green and Smith.

"Hm, you three are back. What's the matter? Didn't want to dig in the dark? No way that you finished it this quickly."

"Actually, Sir, yes. If you order it, we can head back and-," one of the soldiers started, only for the man to show his palm again, quieting him.

"No, it's alright. You can finish it tomorrow," he spoke. "We've to discuss your nightly posts anyway. _He_ might still try something." As he neared the two and Lane, Max saw his (maybe only) chance.

"Sorry, General, before you start, can I ask something," he asked up, thankfully getting an allowing handwave. He decided to start off with the other thing. "Well, Hornet's amazing with the needle and I'm already a pretty good nailfighter too, but we're both only good on our own. So I was wondering if you could teach us how to fight together better?"

The human hummed, his hand going under his chin. "While I mostly go solo with my sword as well, I can teach you two some cooperative moves, though I think Oro could've shown you even more, if he was here, that is," he said, glancing towards the station entrance. "We'll see what we can do come tomorrow, alright?"

"Coo-, uh, good," the hornet stammered out of his growing tiredness, which went noticed.

"It's been a long day, kid. Find a hut and get some rest. I won't have you at a post. Though do make sure the house isn't occupied."

"About that," Max replied, tackling his main concern, "where did Hornet go? She's nowhere around here and she looked real down earlier. I just wanna make sure she's okay before going to sleep."

Juss frowned. "Hm. She did look tired, yes, so I let her walk off, between the buildings. Couldn't see which one she went to," he responded, momentarily saddening the young male. "But I think we can find out." The man looked over to the one townsbug that hadn't gone inside by now (other than the chubby beetle girl, who was quietly sobbing by the tied-up, somehow-still-alive Zote) and waved at them. "Citizen, could you come here please."

The four-legged bug hastily approached, clearly nervous. Having reached Max and Juss, he asked with a deep voice: "What happens to be the matter, human lord? H- have I done something wrong? You let know that we were permitted about the town."

"Worry not," the human calmed him. "We are just looking for our female friend and were wondering if you knew which of these houses she stayed at the day she was here about a week ago."

"Oh, that I most certainly do know," the elderly bug replied. "Why, I myself carried her and her weapon over there when she collapsed having come out the well." He motioned to the cottages behind the stag station. "Over there, it was. Just between the station and the huts bordering our town. It's a smaller one, without even a wood door. I had figured she wouldn't wish for anything bigger." He cautiously turned back to the two fighters, the older of whom looked at the younger.

"Well, you heard him. She should be there."

"Uh-huh," Max nodded, before gratefully adding to the helpful bug: "Thank you, er-"

"Elderbug and- and you're welcome," 'Elderbug' replied, seeming taken aback at the thank. He then started walking back to where he'd come from, as the hornet caught him mutter: "Oh, how'd a fine young lass like you get entangled in _such_ a crowd?"

He glanced back at the human, the remark having actually hurt a bit. "He still sees us as invaders. It's just something you have to live with," the adult said not-very-comfortingly. "Now, he told you which house. Go ahead. And take good care of her, okay." Max nodded, the wording making him blush slightly, to which the man scoffed. "Not like _that_. Just go. I have to get to the soldiers."

* * *

Embarrassed, the hornet gave another nod and started around the station. By now, the whole town was only lit by the lamp posts and houses' windows, all that was left of the sunlight being the grey sky. Now wonder, then, why the air had been getting a lot colder. Though what was weird was that even during the battle, it'd been rather cool, at least for the desert. Did the Pale King have something to do with that? Could he, even? Either way, the chilliness made Max hasten his pace a bit, as he spotted the smaller hut Elderbug had described, staggering towards it. Dang, he was spent.

Pushing aside the cloth covering it, he stepped through the doorway, spotting a familiar cloak and by it its wearer in the small room's bed. "You mind if I sleep here too," he asked on a tired whim, immediately regretting it. Why'd he done that? He'd just come to check up on her, _not_ to sleep here (though a part of him wanted to). She probably wouldn't allow it either right now. Cringing, he prepared for the annoyed response.

"Not at all, Max," Hornet however warmly said, scooting to make space on the bed, much to Max's happiness. He hastily pulled off his nailholder, before stumbling to the bed and laying down beside the female, the two of them still having to be quite close, not that he minded, or she.

"How went work on that grave," she quietly asked him.

"Didn't finish it," he sighed back, before telling the female about the digging, as well as his subsequent conversation with the General. She praised him for asking about training together, while, like the adult had, also voicing her concern over where Oro was. Max was worried too. The big bug had helped both of them. He'd better be okay.

Staring at the ceiling, he finished recounting with a light chuckle: "And before I went, he told me to 'take care of you'."

"What is so funny about that," Hornet asked, her tone confused. She didn't get it. Dang, now it was awkward.

"Well," Max began, his mask warm again, "for humans, that sometimes means, well, uh, _to mate_."

This time, she did react as he expected, glaring and pulling herself further against the wall. "And you immediately took it as such," she accused. "I expect better of you, Max."

"I know, I know. It was stupid 'f me," he said.

"Indeed it was," the warrior agreed. "We know not yet how things shall go, how long they'll take. Having me be gravid would be a great drawback." She looked up, sighing. "Not to mention I am far from prepared for eggs, for _hatchlings_."

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry," the male uttered. They both were nowhere near ready for that. Heck, by human standards, neither of them were even legal adults yet.

The halfling turned back towards him, smiling. "You know I've to forgive you," she whispered kindly. "And aside that, this war shan't last forever. We'll have to mate one day." Now happily blushing, Max nodded. The future as a whole was still scary and uncertain, but at least that was something he could expect. Regarding that, however, a thought suddenly appeared in his mind and not a very comforting one. As much as he tried to, he couldn't stop thinking about it. The worry ate at him for a bit, until he couldn't take it anymore, needing assurance.

"Hornet," he asked, getting an asking hum. "When we do eventually mate, you aren't going to eat me, are you?"

In response, the female sat up, staring at him in horror. "Max, why would I ever do so? Why'd you even think so?"

"Sorry," Max said, yet again feeling dumb. "Just that there are a fair few kinds of spiders in the world whose females do that. They're mere beasts, remember?"

"Even if so, I find it utterly barbaric," Hornet huffed, arms crossed, "and something I wouldn't ever do, Max. I'll never hurt you, outside perhaps training." She yawned and laid back down. "We'd best get to sleeping. Wakeup tomorrow'll likely be early."

No longer worried, the hornet hummed in agreement, snuggling up better against her and the mattress. About halfway asleep, he realized he hadn't at all comforted Hornet about the things the General had done and brought up. There was no way he'd bother her with that now though. There'd be other times he could help her feel better, like the probably-early tomorrow morning.

Yeah, mornings sucked. He'd do it then. That decided, he was asleep.

* * *

**THE PALE KING**

* * *

Back and forth the Pale King paced in front of His throne, taking even breaths as His wordly form required. Himself was the one thing He could not lose control over now, even if He was utterly horrified.

Unlike how He'd hoped, sending His Grey Knight up to Dirtmouth hadn't saved the sentries defending there, for by the time He'd felt the blessed bug reach the surface town, none of them were alive anymore, their contribution to His power gone. Instead, shortly after, the higher being had begun registering the empowered warrior taking several hits and not from the intruding humans' firearms He had proofed him against, but at least three different blades, one of which had held a shape and another an energy that, unlike the shot that'd felled His Kingsmould, had both been unmistakable.

Still, at first, the god had remained in denial. It couldn't have been them! They were swallowed by the Void to be forgotten. He'd tried to convince himself of this, until all of a sudden, the 'mighty' Zote's strength swiftly faltered, its causer being fully _revealed_. Moments later, he had heard the powerful human, who, in a monstrous voice befitting his evil, had declared his and Hornet's survival, before presaging how they would bring His reign to ruin, replace it with their own.

But the worst had been yet to come, as a little after that, He had felt the seal placed on one of the local enlightened humans' memories be undone, instantly ending their worship towards him. This was followed by another's recorruption, with a third's soon following. By evening on the surface, He could merely blindly feel around the town, as the natural born bugs living there since before His return hadn't shown much devotion and were now likely also swayed by the human's and Hornet's words. Even His survived, 'loyal' knight's connection to him was weakening.

In short, He had wholly lost this battle. That could happen no more.

But ensuring it didn't was far from easy, even for Him. For one, He'd not a clue what those He had thought dead had been doing for the last day and a half, aside obviously coming upon the other humans and raiding the Archives for their equipment, making it impossible to counteract it. How He now acted was based entirely on how they had up there. Already He'd ordered a large number of sentries from both the border and Queen's Station back to His capital to guard and sent a few more Kingsmoulds up to aid with that, as well as strengthened the seals in the changed inhabitants' minds, so they'd not be so easily undone.

This was because the Pale King bore no doubt the human would soon set his sights on the great city, so as to stunt His powers', before trying his and Hornet's strength in the White Palace. Their sole hindrance was their thankfully small numbers, but that could have easily been voided by strategy and their superior weapons. While He could've simply bolstered His defenses, the god didn't want to. He was above that. He wished, nay, _needed_ to strike back, gain back some of his lost power. Yet how? _How_?

Since draining the White Lady, He had plotted to do the same to Unn, who, like the former, was laying dormant, with the aim, aside adding to His power, to use the connection to nature within hers to possibly make all of Hallownest lush like Greenpath. However, the latter, where she resided, was right below the surface, near Dirtmouth. And since the General had so brazenly kept his energy revealed, even if He concealed His, the mortal may've felt it, leading to a confrontation that'd likely kill more sentries and force him to retreat. No, He couldn't do it. Because of _him_, he couldn't do it.

That human, that _thrice_ damned human!

If only the swayed soldiers in Elsewhere would start coming to him already. But they were yet kept, kept by those two strong-willed leaders somehow not at all touched by His Call. If only there was a way to be rid of them, so the other humans could finally come to be enlightened.

And there _was_. And He would use it, for He was a god, one that _wouldn't_ be denied. Properly reaching back out to the desert town, He 'looked' over the minds of the humans more greatly influenced by Him, eventually choosing one, who, before, had wandered the closest to the mountains.

Focusing all mindly power on him, the Pale King commanded: _"Kill them!"_

* * *

**ALLEN**

* * *

"_Kill them! Care not for the consequences," _ordered the white light's voice from the distant mountains.

With that, the soldier jolted awake in the dark tent. Looking around, his colleagues were all still asleep, some of them snoring. His mind quickly drowned it out, as he got up and automatically started pulling on his jacket and pants like he was used to. He didn't put on anything else, though, instead shakily reaching for his sidearm, making sure with cramped hands that it was loaded. He needed at least two rounds.

"_Good. Now make haste!"_

Listening to the ghostly words, Joseph started for the tent's exit, stumbling over a few of the others' equipment, which thankfully didn't wake them. Stepping outside, he was met with the refreshingly cool night air. For some reason, for a moment, it made him doubt what he was doing. However, that quickly passed and he _saw sense _again. Those foreigners needed to go. The two were actively keeping the batallion from advancing to the mountains, when that was what they _had_ to do. It almost seemed like they were working against the operation. Scratch that, it was _crystal clear_.

"_Indeed, _they_ are your _true_ enemies."_

Yes. And Allen was going to take care of them before they stalled the force any longer. It didn't matter to him _one bit_ if it got him court marshalled, since at least the others could finally complete the mission of getting to the _Light_. Pistol in hand, he reached the town's road. It didn't matter either that his vision was hazy and his legs felt unusually heavy, even for when he was tired (which he wasn't), as there was a clear line of _pale_ leading towards the town's center, where the town hall was. However, what did concern the soldier was being spotted the night watchmen on the rooftops, who obviously weren't going to understand the good he planned to do for them all.

"_Fear not. Their sights are clouded, so that you may pass_."

The man mentally thanked _his_ Light. That helped a lot. Still, despite his weird uncoordination tonight, he stayed on the shaded sidewalk, soon stumbling up to the blocky building where the _traitorous_ officers had their base and were staying. Tightening his grip on the gun, he pulled on the front door, finding it was open. Through it was a dark entrance room, which lead to a couple others, as well as the stairs ahead. With _his_ guiding Light suddenly gone and the inability to just turn on the lights, Allen wasn't sure how to proceed. Then, he heard a snore come from upstairs, prompting him to start towards it. Up the stairs, there was a bunch of tables with radio equipment and open tablets that hummed and gave a little glow, though most were probably useless. Didn't stop him from stumbling across them

For a second, the PFC worried it'd made too much noise, but thankfully didn't hear anything other than another snore through a windowed side room's open door. Taking a deep breath and readying his pistol, he stepped in. The street lamps outside lit two set-up military beds, one of them empty and the other with a sleeping Lt Steve on it. Disregarding the other's absence, Allen aimed and moved his finger triggerwards.

"It would nice if you told why the shitly-timed visit, private," said a voice from a dark corner of the room, from which a stocky blonde figure then stepped into view, "Also, why you are aiming your weapon at your Commanding Officer."

Reprioritizing, Allen turned towards the Senior Lieutenant, everything else going even hazier. He was a bigger threat, he would die first. _"To kill you both, evil one,"_ he spoke, as did the pale Light through him, breathing rapidly, as he aimed.

"No mine persse*," uttered L. Then, in an unbelievably quick motion, he snatched onto the pistol, using the other hand to painfully hit the American before he could pull the trigger. There was a soft *click*, followed by the mag dropping out. The Lt punched again, then slammed the slide forward, ejecting the chambered round. Not letting the PFC fight back, he yanked the whole gun away and whipped him with it, making everything go dark.

'Opening' his eyes, Allen saw the shadowy mountains on the horizon again. Differently, though the speck of light was flashing.

"_You and your fellow godless won't get a feel of my light before those two are dead! Wake up, wake up, wake up," _roared the Light's voice, compelling him to obey.

* * *

Coming to, he first saw a yellowish light shining right at him, worsening how much his head already hurt. Trying to shield his face, he found his hands tied to whatever he was laying on, wherever that was. Everything was so damn blurry. But that _didn't matter_, as the officers couldn't have been far. He tried to struggle free of the bindings, but was unable to, only rattling them.

"Steve, tule. Ta 'n ärkvel*," spoke a familiar voice from the side, as a clearly visible Lt L entered his view, looking down at him. "_Jessas_, your eyes are white. Basically glowing. You're completely under his control, aren't you?"

With no idea what he was talking about, Allen kept trying to break his hands free. He no longer had his pistol, but that wouldn't stop him from strangling the other man. He was a soldier, he knew how to fight. He _had_ to get them somehow.

"Those are metal cuffs, idiot," spoke the officer. He'd have shouted something back, weren't his mouth covered too. The Junior Lieutenant, his other target, then also entered his vision, completely in focus like the other, who then said something else to him in their weird _gibberish_.

"I should be able to. Let me take a look," Steve replied, leaning closer to Allen and running his fingers across his chest, the PFC still desperately trying to pull the cuffs broken and _just get him already_. "Damn, he's right. You're far gone." He stood back. "Won't be easy, but I think I can break the connection."

The stockier man nodded. "Well, good news, private," he then spoke to Allen. "Your mind's so fucked you get a free pass at getting it unfucked." He leaned down himself and grabbed him by the jacket's collar, staring. "As for you, and I mean you who've _wormed_ your way in there, with this big plan 'f yours, I seriously can't understand why'd you try something this fucking stupid." He paused, then let out a chuckle. "_He_ did something, didn't he? Got you scared? Know that he's a far greater being than whatever you are will _ever_ be." He let the soldier fall back down and said something to his fellow officer, who moved closer again.

"Alright, I'll do it," he said, as Joseph started trashing again, trying to at least headbutt him for _his Light_. "Don't worry, private Allen, this'll only hurt _a lot_." He brought up his hand, which started emitting multicolored _sparkles_, causing the American to recoil out of a sudden fear, before being stopped by the surface he was on. The hand came down on his forehead, filling with a searing pain that made him let out a muffled scream, as his vision filled with a rainbow of colors, then black. The latter quickly morphed into the familiar view of the mountains. However, the sky was now also filled with colors, while the spot of _his Light_ on the cliffs flared brightly.

"_No! I shall not be cut off! You will sto-" _And like that, it suddenly vanished from Allen's sight, _the_ light that'd told him and the squad to stop after they'd fended off _its_ golems at base camp, that'd baited him to come to the mountains and now had almost made him kill his COs.

Holy shit, it really had fucked with his head.

With that thought, Allen woke up to see Lt Steve stumble back and out of sight, while L stared at him, arms crossed. He then reached down to painfully swipe the , a piece of tape, off the private's mouth.

"You with us, soldier, _properly,_" he asked, getting a nod.

"One hundred percent, Sir," Allen said, nudging his head towards one of his cuffed hands. The officer quickly unlocked them, before offering his own, which he pulled the soldier up with, letting him see they were in the town hall second floor's equipment room, onto one of which the Junior Lt was leaning, breathing heavily.

"How- _How_ can he do it so easily," the man uttered with a cough, looking at the other soldiers. "I- am going to vomit." He rushed to the stairs and started down.

Allen turned to face the remaining Lieutenant, prepared for what'd happen next. "Sir, I apologize for my actions," he firmly spoke up, "and I am prepared to face any and all punishment for them."

"No need, soldier, you weren't in your right mind," L replied, much to his relief. "Though you _do_ remember what you did, right?"

"Yes, Sir," the private affirmed. He did and regretted them, a lot. "Am I not supposed to?"

"You are, don't worry. Deal with it too," the officer replied, "because we can't afford you a shoulder to cry into. I think you understand that things have gotten very serious."

Joseph nodded. "That much is clear, Sir, yes. Not a lot else, though," he said, rubbing his wrists, which he only now could register the pain of from all the struggling before. "That Light, er, voice, what is it? I understand it's controllin' those golems and probably made that barrier. But why's it suddenly want us to go to it?"

"I'm not certain what it is, but chances are it's some kind of weaker god," explained the Lt, as if that was something completely normal, telling Allen to just go with it. "We also don't know what it wants with us, but it can't be good. It's why I am keeping the company here, though considering how quickly you fell to that Light, that's only going to get harder."

Allen's eyes widened in terror. "Seems more like impossible. Look at how I bad got." If he'd been _that_ far gone, then the others couldn't've been much different.

"Not just yet, don't worry," the CO spoke. "You got so bad, since for _one_ reason or another, that 'Light' focused all its influence onto you to gain control quicker. With the whole batallion, I'm pretty sure it has to divide and spread it over everyone, so the overall effect's slower." He sighed. "Look, I'm not the expert on these things. Just be aware that we should get at least another full day before any others start going off the deep end. When they do, though, Steve 'n I are going to need any and all help with keeping them away from those mountains. Right now, that means you and no one else. You saw what getting you back to normal did to Steve."

Allen nodded seriously. "I'm guessing this's not something I can opt out of," he stated.

"No, it's an order," confirmed L. "Fate of the world could be at stake here, not just America's. A Ranger like yourself's got to protect both 'f those, doesn't he?" The soldier hummed in agreement, prompting the officer to pick his pistol off a table on the side, handing it to him. "Make sure you do, then. We, and that includes you now, are authorized to kill if needed." The PFC nodded again. The idea of actual friendly fire was a bit disconcerting, but if it was necessary, he'd do it. Though, a glance at the gun he had almost shot the officers with raised a different concern.

"Sir, What if that Lighttries to take control of me again?"

"The link's broken, so it'd have to start all over, but you have a point," the Lieutenant said, taking something else from the metal table, which happened to be a small gold cross necklace. "Found it in that trashed hardware shop. Owner was a Christian, so it should keep your head safe from it."

"_Should_," repeated the American skeptically. Was he implying God, the actual one, was real just like that?

"Yes, should. As I said, I'm not the expert," the foreigner said. "If it doesn't, then hopefully things are over before you fully succumb again." Wondering what that end would be, but not bothering to ask, Allen accepted the necklace and put it on aside his dog tags. He'd never been that religious, but if it protected him from this 'weaker god', that might've just changed.

"Anything else you want to ask, soldier," the Lt spoke.

"Yes, actually. How did you know to wait for me, Sir," he asked, "when I got here before?

"That? To be honest, that Light's fucking with you Yanks' heads has lost me two nights' sleep now," L replied, "and even if it hadn't, the racket you made would've woken me anyway. I'm sure Steve was awake and just faking sleep. _Anything else_?" Out of questions to ask right now, Allen shook his head. "In that case, get moving. Maybe you'll even get a little rest tonight?"

"Wait, you want me to get back to the tents, Sir?" The private sent a wary glance out a window.

"Well, where else," the other man asked back. "What, you think we're gonna house you here? This isn't a fucking hotel, private. Get _going_."

Knowing he had to comply, Allen gave a salute and started for the stairs, on which he met the returning Steve, who wished him a good night, in return getting a proper thanks for saving him from the white Light. Honestly, the Jr Lt's apparent _magic_ powers were pretty low on his list of shit he still had to fully register.

After that, the soldier made his way through the first floor and finally out the administrative building. On the street, he continued heading back to the tents, keeping to the buildings' shadows like when he was under control to not get spotted by the lookouts, who were what he'd worried about, as he doubted their 'sights were clouded' anymore. Fortunately, he still wasn't spotted and soon got off the road, to the tents, quietly slipping into his squad's. Having made it across the other's things, this time carefully, he sat down on his bed, quickly putting the pistol in its holster, before noticing Bill turning his head towards him.

"Hey, the hell were you doing?"

"Sorry, had to take a leak."

"That was a helluva long leak." There was a worrying amount of suspicion in his tone.

"Well, it happens sometimes," Allen hastily whispered back, unclothing and laying back down. "Look, I'm here now. Just go back to sleep." To his relief, his squadmate indeed didn't say anything else, letting him focus on drifting off himself. Though, that wasn't easy with the knowledge he was one of seemingly only three people free from the white Light's influence. Bill had still come across normal enough now, but that could've changed soon. He hoped however this blew over, as the Lieutenant had hinted, it'd be before that.

With that thought, he fell into a peaceful enough sleep.

* * *

**THE KIDS**

* * *

Mason and Mike were confused, but mostly scared. The younglings were so scared of the tall creatures that'd showed up in their hometown making loud bangs, forcing all the sentries here to go away. The soldierbugs had never been too nice and the two had stayed away from them because of that, but these were much worse. Their scent was bad and some of their talking didn't make any sense.

All that made the young bugs confused why mother and father were saying that they were good and had come to fight against the Pale King, who they now told was really bad, among other things, which was weird, since every day before, they had explained how important and great he was and why everyone had to serve him.

The little pill bugs didn't know what to believe. On one hand, younglings their age were supposed to listen to their parents, they wanted to too. But on the other, they had only started saying these new things once the creatures' black-garbed leader, the scariest of them, and the cloaked bug who was with the monsters for some reason had done _something_ to them that had made them cry and hug. This was right after the scary-masked male had hurt the now-big Sir Zote so bad he didn't get back up anymore, all while yelling bad things at him.

And to think the boys had snuck out the back door just to watch the mighty knight beat the invaders out of the town. It was terrorifying.

To make things worse, the creatures, hoo-mans, had tied up his hands and legs so he couldn't even get back up. Bretta had been so sad she'd cried at him even after the black leader was finished with his loud talk to everyone in the town. The twins had watched from the window and felt sad themselves that they couldn't do anything about it.

Or could they?

Mother and father were asleep when they, like before, snuck out of the house. The sky was dark, but Dirtmouth had a lot of lamps, so it wasn't scary. It was also less scary, since they couldn't see _any_ of the humans, or anyone, really. Still, they hurried over to Zote, who'd been dragged over to the next house's wall. They were going to set him free. Even if he was too weak to fight the invaders, he could at least escape down the well and get okay. The little bugs got to work on his tied limbs. However, it didn't matter how hard they tried, the knots didn't even budge.

They were about to give up and sadly go back inside, when they heard the mighty bug start mumbling.

"Ugh, this is what I get for heeding, pale cur? I serve you no longer." As he said that, still asleep, thin white smoke started coming out his body, which itself shrunk, until it was back to the size it'd been before, the now too-large bindings simply laying beside it. Then, groaning, Zote pushed himself up, the twins barely able to contain their happiness.

"Ah, an audience for my true self's return," he said, turning towards them. "Listen, younglings, I've changed my smart mind. Don't trust that Pale King or his empty promises. I did and see what befell me? That body may have been great and handsome, but it was only _half_ as strong as I truly am and got me beaten by those fleshy curs. True strength is always hidden in small ones like me." The pill bugs nodded in awe, as he walked to his broken Life Ender that hadn't shrunk, picking up the longest piece. "Still, those warriors felled me fairly, so I will let them have this town for now. I require a rest at a Hot Spring anyway." He looked back. "But make no mistake, my students. Soon I will return and then these curs and that blasted king will pay for these humiliations or I am not Zote the Mighty. Farewell."

With that, the awesome knight took off towards the well into Hallownest, the younglings looking after him happily, both 'cause their hero was free to fight beasts and evil again and 'cause now they could agree with their parents. If a smart bug like Zote didn't like the king, they couldn't either. They were also starting to feel the cold's bite, sleepiness too, and turned around to sneak back home.

* * *

**So here it is, another 'interlude', though this one is less that and more a short chapter, cause some of the plot development is pretty big. The end part with the kids might feel a little rushed though IDK**

**It also has that Max part that probably should've been in the last one. Hope you liked it.**

**Also, translation for the marked Estonian phrases are as follows:**

**No mine persse - Oh, fuck off (roughly)**

**Tule, ta on ärkvel - Come, he's awake**

**There, now we're all a bit smarter. For context, text is in English when the POV character understands it.**

**R&R and take care.**


End file.
